morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-08-22
From: Kinsman Notch

To: Franconia Notch
Miles today: 16.3

Slept okay. It was hot two nights ago and they put a window air conditioner in and last night it was cold. I think the best sleeps I get are in my tent. Up early to stretch, etc AND eat a cereal with peaches breakfast. Wow. I do miss that on the trail. Justin had us to the trailhead by 7:30 am and like all trails in the Whites that start in the Notches it was straight up. Great construction though with lots of steps and most of the steps were very reasonable (ie NOT monster steps). Once the trail hit the ridge it wasn't too bad. Then up to Mt. Wolf, down to Eliza Brook, up to South and North Kinsman, down to Lonesome Lake and out to Franconia Notch. Slackpacking made a difference. Definitely easier on the knees and back - two areas of weakness for me. Nice weather all day so nice views from both Kinsman peaks. Trail ran parallel to Eliza Brooks for quite awhile. Beautiful roaring stream with lots of pools and cascades. Got to the Flume Visitor Center around 6:30 pm and stuck out my thumb. Not much traffic so I was a little worried. A bunch of thru hikers, including Key Chain had to walk the five miles back to Lincoln a couple nights ago because they couldn't get a ride. Luckily for me the second car that went by stopped and picked me up. Nice young local guy. By 7 pm I was in the Woodstock Inn ordering meatloaf, mash potatoes and corn on the cob (plus a pint). Ah life is good. Finished dinner, walked a mile back to the hostel, showered, put some icy hot on my back and some real ice on my knees, finished my last three creamsicles, and now I'm ready for bed. A long but good day.
Date: 2015-08-23
From: Franconia Notch

To: Garfield Ridge shelter
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: light rain

Temperature just right last night. Slept okay. Up early again. Another peaches and cereal breakfast and Tie Dye shuttled us to the trailhead. Walked the blue blazed trail to the AT by 8 am. Again a steep, steep trail up to the ridge line. A reoccurring theme in the Whites is I don't mind the uphills at all, just put it in low gear and go. It's the downhills that really slow me down. Instead of Wreck, I may start calling myself Grandma Moses! Weather nice most of day which was great as this is one of, if not the best piece of trail on the AT. Above tree line for several miles from Little Haystack, pass Lincoln and Lafayette. Great views on both right and left the whole way. Then it was down, down, down from Lafayette with me doing my Grandma Moses impression, up Mt. Garfield (in the clouds by late afternoon) and to this campsite by about 5 pm. I'm staying in the shelter as they just have platforms which don't work well with my tent. The whole place is packed! Several large groups came in after me. Not sure where the caretaker put them but he found a spot. Off and on dizzle this evening. Another great day in the Whites. My body survived so, hopefully, I get to advance tomorrow.
Date: 2015-08-24
From: Garfield Ridge shelter

To: Crawford Notch
Miles today: 17.4

Another beautiful weather day in the Whites!   Up early - it was a packed shelter last night - and hiking by 7:30am. The early morning fog was just leaving. First order of business was the wicked climb down Mt Garfield. Last year I started down, saw that was climbing down a waterfall and thought I had missed the trail so I climbed back up only to finally realize the trail and the waterfall were one and the same!! A couple folks this year said they did the same thing.   I think I'm really benefiting from my week last year here with No Pants. The familiarity lessens the anxiety of some of these sections. Anyhoot got down okay. The only real climb of the day was up South Twin Mountain (4902 ft) this morning. Scattered clouds on top so that the Presidential Range was mostly in the clouds but great views in most directions. Views of Franconia Ridge, and Garfield were great! Stayed up there eating a snack until almost noon. Checked the weather forecast which looked good for today and lousy for tomorrow, particularly the afternoon, and decided to hike as far as I could today so I could climb Webster Cliffs tomorrow morning. More a testament of perhaps the easiest section of trail in the Whites rather than my hiking prowess but I covered the next 14 miles in 7 hours including a stop at Zealand Hut where they were looking for thru hikers to finish their leftover pasta shells from last night's dinner (I happily did my share). Long day but another great day in the Whites. Again, I survived and now, after a hopefully good nights sleep, I get to advance again.
Date: 2015-08-25
From: Crawford Notch

To: Mizpah Hut
Miles today: 6.4

Up early and started up the mountain by 7am. That was also the time the rain started. Steep trail but mostly dirt until Webster Cliffs area. After that lots of rock, lots of four limbed climbing - a full body workout. Light rain continued the whole climb with limited views from the first (of many) outcrops along Webster Cliffs and after that no views (but clouds). Last year we had great views of Crawford Notch the whole way up but not today. Got to Mizpah Hut a little before noon, checked out the campsite but decided to stay at the hut. What I really wanted to do was stay at Madison Hut tomorrow night but called AMC from a rainy Mt Jackson and found out Madison was full tomorrow. So I'll treat myself tonight and, unless the weather is really bad, have a long day tomorrow around the Great Gulf and down Madison. Last year No Pants and I went from Mizpah to Lake of the Clouds in horrible visibility, 40++ mph winds, and horizontal rain. Hopefully history doesn't repeat itself! A short advance today but I survived for another day - and looking forward to it!!
Date: 2015-08-26
From: Mizpah Hut

To: Campsite, 1m S of Osgood Campsite
Miles today: 13.9

Woke up before 6 am and went downstairs to stretch. The hut experience was okay but wish I had done "work for stay". I didn't because I could afford to pay and I was sure a bunch of folks were going to come in late and need a place to stay. Turns out they all must have stayed in Crawford Notch because of the weather. Only two folks were there for work for stay. Beds weren't very good, no linens except for old wool blankets and food, while good, was on the meager side, as far as thru hiking proportions are concerned. The crew was nice - so it was my donation to the AMC - which must do quite well money wise as the shelter on a rainy Tuesday night was nearly full. On the trail a little before 8am. When I woke up there was actually a patch of blue sky and my optimism rose. Starting the trail with the first climb up Mt Clinton the clouds took over and, as with last year, I had absolutely no views from Mizpah to Lakes of the Clouds hut. One of these days I'm going to walk it in nice weather and see what I've been missing. Unlike last year though there was no wind and just a mist from the clouds. Definitely cloudy though as I almost ran into Lakes of the Clouds hut before it appeared out of the fog. Didn't stay at the hut long but had pleasant surprise hiking up to Mt Washington. Ran into JP carrying 101 pounds of supplies down to the hut. I met JP and had lunch with him by the Tye River in Virginia this spring. He had been the winter caretaker at Mt LeConte and was walking the AT to his summer job in the Whites. Worked on a AMC trail crew until recently moving over to the hut as a crew member. It was great to see him although we didn't talk too long - he was carrying 101 pounds!! Up to Washington totally in the clouds, got my summit picture ( and another summit picture with a nice family that adopted me - for a picture) and then went inside for a coke and some chili.   Talked with a bunch of other thru hikers - most stayed at Lakes of the Clouds last night and in the relatively short time I was there the weather started to improve slowly. Hiking around the Great Gulf that improvement continued and by the time I reached Mt Adams it was completely out of the clouds. Really nice views from there onward. Got to Madison Hut about 4 pm, stayed for about 30 minutes and then climbed (literally in some sections) Mt Madison. Great views, great peak. Then it was down, down,down Madison, one of the longest and steepest downhills in the Whites. Finally got below tree line and found this great campsite down a little path aways off the AT. Short hike tomorrow to Pinkham Notch which is good. Today was a long one - and a rocky one. Quite chilly out now - think I'll have my sleeping bag zipped up tonight. Looking forward to it!!!
Date: 2015-08-27
From: Campsite, 1m S of Osgood Campsite

To: Pinkham Notch
Miles today: 5.7

Well it didn't get as cold as I thought last night - just a half zipped bag. Woke up and on trail by 7:30am. Have to admit - there's an added level of anticipation on a "town day." The steep downhill off Madison continued for nearly another mile down to Osgood Campsites. From there the trail leveled off somewhat - all is relative this is still the Whites - and there were a number of great creeks to cross. The forest of the Whites have been great, the scent of fir in the air, the paper birches, the continuous green ground cover provided by the Sphagnum moss which covers everything, the ferns, the fungi - just a fun place to hike. Got to the AMC Visitor Center before noon, had lunch, and picked up my shuttle into the White Mountain Hostel. No Pants and I stayed here last year. It's one of the really nice hostel along the trail. I've showered, taken the shuttle to Walmart for resupply and ready for my last leg of the Whites - over the Wildcats!
Date: 2015-08-28
From: Pinkham Notch

To: Imp campsite
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: broken clouds

Comfortable night at the hostel. Marnie does a great job. Woke up early - before 6am, stretched and chilled before a delicious breakfast of sausage, muffins, breakfast burrito and juice (plus a coke for fuel). Back at Pinkham Notch before 8am. The Wildcats have the reputation of being one of the hardest sections in the Whites and they deserve it. Over 2,000ft of climbing with lots of sections where you were using all four limbs right at the beginning. Still, and a common theme for me in the Whites, I'd much rather go uphill than down. Got to Wildcat Peak D 3 miles in 3 hours and had a snack. Beautiful weather and great views of the Presidential range - a recurring theme all day. Peak D is a little surreal as there is a ski gondola operating which takes folks from a restaurant at the mountain base up to the top for $12. After snacking, it was over Wildcat Mountain Peaks C and A and down into Carter Notch. Had great views of the Notch from above the while the views were incredible, and climb down looked incredibly steep! Luckily the trail was highly engineered with lots of great stone steps so I actually made great time. A 1,500 ft climb out of the Notch to Carter Dome. Had a late lunch on top of Mt Height. Fantastic 360 degree views. Ate my peanut butter and crackers facing the Presidents and my M&m's facing Maine. Then down to Zeta Pass, over Middle and North Carter Mountains and down to Imp Campsite. Only surprise of day was the steepness of the trail off North Carter. Didn't get to the campsite until after 6:30pm and decided to stay in shelter. Got water, ate dinner and it's now nearly 9pm. Big day (13.1 miles doesn't sound like much but it really was a full day) and a beautiful one. The Whites are going out in style!
Date: 2015-08-29
From: Imp campsite

To: US 2, Gorham, NH
Miles today: 8.0

First one out of shelter - it's another "town" day. Climbed Mt Mariah first thing this morning. Great morning light, more great views. After that it was downhill the rest of the day with some typical White Mountain sections where you are thankful for the spruce and fir to grab a hold of, hoping your knees don't decide they've had enough of this. Made it down and the last 3 miles were smooth easy sailing to the highway. I was planning to catch the shuttle into town for the oriental buffet but ran into great magic at the trailhead in the form of cheeseburgers, fruit, chips, cookies, and drinks provided by two former thru hikers. Thanks so much!!! Clean Cut, Big Bro and Pink Panther were already there so we all enjoyed the food before walking down the road to the White Mountain hostel - located literally on the AT. I've showered again and ready to rest up this afternoon. Heading north tomorrow with Maine getting closer and closer.
Date: 2015-08-30
From: US 2, Gorham, NH

To: NH-Maine border
Miles today: 16.5

Wow! Another full day on the trail. Actually got off to a later start than I intended. Wanted to call home and had to organize my pack which I was too tired to do last night. Ended up leaving the hostel a little after 9:30am.   Loved White Mountain hostel - highly recommended. Had no idea of what the trail would be - southern Maine is suppose to be perhaps the most rugged section of all trail sections but what about the last day in New Hampshire? Turns out, compared with some sections of the Whites, the trail was relatively tame. Actually hiked on soil for a good portion of the time. Weather was beautiful all day and I made pretty decent time. Over a couple smallish mountains, passed several beautiful ponds. Ran into the Duke of Windsor who was hiking south. We met down at Top of Georgia hostel. He's flip flopped and walking from Maine down to New York. It was great to see him again. Got to Gentian Pond shelter, my intended stopping point, by 4:30 pm. Felt good so I headed toward Maine with Loop. Loop's a nice and interesting guy. I met him first in Hanover.   He does as much or more night hiking as anybody on the trail. In fact he's rarely off the trail until 11pm! Trail was great over Mt Success with nice views of ridge after ridge of mountains. Things got rockier and steeper the closer we got to Maine. Finally we hit the border a little after 7:30 pm. Took pictures posing at the border sign. It was late enough for me to grab one of the campsites nearby. (Loop was going to hike another 5+ miles tonight). I've set up the tent, eaten and finished all my chores. It's 9:30 pm. Time for some shuteye and rest. This body needs some down time before beginning my first day in Maine.
Date: 2015-08-31
From: NH-Maine border

To: Bull Branch campsite
Miles today: 7.6

Up and out of camp by 8:30am which is pretty good for me considering the long day yesterday. Got my welcome to Maine early today. In the first 1/2 mile right before Carlo Col shelter there was a wickedly steep downhill - a rock jumble with some big stretches involved between rocks. Then it was up Goose Eye Mountain.Maine's trails are living up to their reputation - tough. Luckily there was lots of engineering help here with steps, ladder, boardwalks, and iron rings. Maine Appalachian Trail Club rocks! Great views from all the Goose Eye peaks - that's a great mountain. Weather was cloudy today and windy. Really windy on top the mountain. The kind of wind that you have to lean into or else it blows you a couple feet off the trail every once in awhile. Got to Full Goose shelter about 12:30 pm so that was about 5 miles in 4 hours! Had lunch and hiked to the start of Mahoosic Notch by a little after 2 pm. Mahoosic Notch is a mile long boulder jumble that you have to negotiate over, under, and around. Lots of fun but definitely a full body workout. 3X's I had to take my pack off and pull it through a small opening in the boulders. I went extra slow - no sense risking injury here. Got to the campsite in the other side of the Notch around 4:30 pm. Most of the time I would have gone on but with a big ole mountain in front of me I decided to call it a day. It's not even 8pm but I'm snug in my bag. Wind is still howling. I've checked the dead tree situation and all looks good. Big day today even with the low mileage. Going to try and put in some bigger miles tomorrow. Great scenery all around but slow going.
Date: 2015-09-01
From: Bull Branch campsite

To: Frye Notch lean-to
Miles today: 12.8

Another long, tough, beautiful, great day in southern Maine. Woke up to blue skies and they never left. Low humidity and temperatures in the 70's. Just beautiful weather. Out of camp by 7:15am. This was mountain climbing day, the first being Mahoosuc Arm (3770 ft). The Arm has a reputation of being even tougher (and not nearly as fun) as the Notch. 1/3 of the way up I was ready to pronounce the Arm as overrated. 2/3 of the way up I was questioning my first impression. By the time I reached the top I concluded that, indeed, the Arm is one tough climb. You would scale a rock slab with blue skies seemingly at the end and instead of reaching the top find another rock slab to climb. And then another, and another, and another. I was beginning to think of it as the mountain that never ended. Having said that it actually was a pretty fun climb 1) the weather was great 2) it was early in the day after a good night sleep. Great views on top looking over at the next mountain of the day, Old Soeck (4033 ft). First the trail dropped down to Speck Pond, beautiful pond nestled between mountains, and then it was up Old Speck. Took the 0.3 mile sidetrail to the observation tower for great 360 degree views. It looked like an intimidating drop of 2,500 ft into Grafton Notch, but wasn't that bad. That part of the trail was a popular day use area - much less rock, more soil. In fact the rest of the day the trails became a little more tame. My favorite mountain in Maine (so far) was the third climb of the day, Baldplate (3.810 ft). Fantastic stone steps nearly all the way from the shelter to tree line. Fun climbing on rock slabs above tree line and 360 degree views with late afternoon sunlight on top. Maybe my favorite mountain on the AT. It was that great! Dropped down to this campsite by a little before 7 pm. I'm tenting near 3 others who were in bed before 8pm. I meanwhile ate 2 dinners and much of the rest of my food supply. It's 9:30 pm now. Time for bed. Tomorrow, hopefully, will be another big and beautiful day in Maine.
Date: 2015-09-02
From: Frye Notch lean-to

To: South arm Rd
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Up at 6am, on the trail by 7:15am. I have a mail drop in Andover almost 15 miles away and, given the last few days, not sure how long it's going to take me to get there. Weather warmer and more humid than previous few. Still nice, no rain although the farmers would probably like some. Short uphill out of Frye Notch and then down to Dunn Notch. Nice cascading waterfall there, trail mostly SOIL! That's a change. Then a long but gradual uphill to Wyman Mountain. Trail today not as rocky or slow going as previous days. Lots of roots though, a common theme in Maine? With the dry weather they are okay. Section on Wyman Mountain seemed like a step child to yesterday's hike. Not the greatest of trails, and definitely in need of some pruning - the spruce, fir, and hobble bush were taking over sections. Steep climb in and out of Sawyer Notch. From the view on the other side of the Notch it looked like we would get great views from Moody Mountain. Alas, a tree covered top with a couple so so clearings. Down to the South Arm Rd by before 5pm - in time to catch the shuttle to the Pine Ellis hostel. Ate at the general store, got Rebecca's great resupply, showered and waiting for clothes to dry. Ready for another day of Maine hiking.
Date: 2015-09-03
From: Woods road N of Orbeton Stream

To: Campsite near Bemis stream
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Wow! Slept really hard last night. Guess I needed it. Up at 6am and went over to the Red Hen for breakfast. Very nice. Had eggs, ham, home fries and homemade raisin bread. Shuttled back to the trail by 8:30am. The Pine Ellis hostel isn't at the same level as the White Mountain, or Notch hostels. But it had its own charm, the folks were nice and I did sleep well. Saw Hopper at the trailhead. Last I saw her was at Trail Days and before that Woods Hole. She's working at The Cabin now and volunteering for the Maine ATC. Nice to see her. Forecast was for potential thunderstorms this afternoon and I was concerned about being caught on top of Bemis Mountain in a storm so with that in mind I put it in low gear and climbed Old Blue (3600 ft), down to the gap and then up the southern peak of Bemis (3554 ft). 7 miles in about 5 hours. You never know how much time each little section of trail will take in Maine. About 1:30 pm decided to take a lunch break on Bemis. Checked radar and it looked like all the rain was south of us. Air felt drier and weather.com was now listing rain chance at 20%. I decided to dilly dally on top. Unlike Old Blue, and the southern peak of Bemis, the northern peak was much more open. Lots of walking along rock and perhaps the best blueberries on the trail. Took my pack off and just picked several bushes clean. Of course, you never can get enough so eventually I had to "put my blinders on" and just walk pass the berries and down the mountain. Steep downhill in spots with lots of roots. Not a section to hurry on. Several nice stone steps coming down that I greatly appreciated ( a couple nice ones climbing Old Blue this morning too). Got into camp around 5:30 pm and although it was a relatively low mileage day I felt done. Nice crowd of folks here. Pilgrim had campfire going which we gathered around while eating dinner. Seems like it might be on the cool side tonight. I'm ready to zip bag up if needed.
Date: 2015-09-04
From: South arm Rd

To: ME 4 Rangely
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Beautiful day but I'm pooped so this will be short. Up and on the trail by 7:15. Couple short steep sections, lots of tree roots but overall a tame section. Several beautiful ponds. Got to the road about 2:30pm. Folks from the Farmhouse Inn picked us up at 3pm. Nice hostel. Drove us into Rangely where I got my treking pole fixed, bought replacement water bags, food resupply, and dinner at Sarges. Walked back to the hostel, ate some cereal and ready for bed. NOTE. My food obsession is justified. I'm at 140lbs. now - haven't been this light since I was 14!
Date: 2015-09-05
From: ME 4 Rangely

To: Woods road N of Orbeton Stream
Miles today: 13.5

Great day today - beautiful weather and one of the nicest "high country" sections of the entire AT. Woke up, ate way too much food, drank a liter of Pepsi and caught the 8am shuttle back to the trail. Most folks, particularly the young crowd was staying another day due to a trail festival in Rangely today. Weather looked too good for me to pass up hiking. That said, I really liked the Farmhouse Inn and the owners but don't feel I had enough time there to do much other than eat, sleep and run errands in Rangely. It was a quick visit. The Pepsi (and the doughnuts) put me in sugar and caffeine shock (and extra low gear) all morning. It was mountain climbing time today, first a 2,500 ft climb up Saddleback Mountain (4120 ft). Huge section on top of mountain above tree line. Fantastic views all around. Then it was down and up The Horn (4032 ft) and finally down (and this was a steep down) and up Saddleback Junior (3655 ft). Not only could you see each mountain from the previous mountain, there were great views of many of the peaks to come in the next few days - Spaulding, Sugarloaf, and Crocker Mountains. Lots of blueberries all day on top. Also lots of college freshmen with both Bates and Colby colleges having multiple groups out backpacking. Got into this campsite about 7 pm after picking up water, and soaking my knees in Orbeton Creek. Many folks are having knee issues since New Hampshire. Mine are holding up (cross your fingers) but there's no question these downhills excerpt a toll. These mountains though are beautiful. Really looking forward to tomorrow!!!