morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-07-25
From: Gorham, NH

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Well, I did indeed take a zero today. I felt a little guilty because the weather is supposed to be great and I probably should be taking advantage of that to hike. Nah - I'll stick with the zero.I did check out of the Barn in the morning. I just want to try a different place for tonight. Was thinking about staying at Hiker's Paradise, on the other side of town. They serve breakfast so I headed over there to eat. I sat with a couple that was doing a SOBO. They were getting ready to leave and had stayed at the motel last night. They spoke pretty badly about the owner or manager or whoever he was. Said his wife was really rude to them. I didn't know what to think because I knew a lot of hikers have stayed here in the past. I also knew that Hiker's Paradise is supposed to have special rooms/rates for hikers. Still, the couple really seemed sure about what had taken place.I decided to take their advice and stay somewhere else. After breakfast I went to another motel, the Royalty Inn. Although it was barely 10am, they were nice enough to give me a room then. I dumped my gear and saw there was a tub in the bathroom. Decided to kick back for an hour soaking in the tub and reading my current book.Next, a trip back to the library for some more journal entries. I also wanted to do some research on hikers that had recently gone through western Maine. I'm interested in knowing if the hostels in Andover and Rangely are still in business and if they will shuttle hikers to/from their places. Those distances can be 10 miles or greater. With the cost of gas they may not be doing shuttles. That will also affect where I send maildrops or where I buy food.Afternoon temp is supposed to be in the low 80's. It is definitely humid here. The Royalty Inn has a pool and I swam for a bit. I had eaten lunch earlier at Crabby Jack's Mexican restaurant. I had high hopes for some god Mexican food but was disappointed. I guess I shouldn't have expected so much given that I'm in New Hamshire. For dinner other hikers were recommending places that just seemed cheap to me. I wanted something more and checked out J's Steak House. They opened at 5pm and I wanted an early dinner (and early bed time). Ordered a steak and it was fantastic. It had a brown, spicy gravy with mushrooms. Not cheap, but definitely worth it.I just checked the number of miles I've hiked so far and realized I now have less than 300 miles to go. It will go by quickly, I know. It won't be long before it will indeed be time to get back to the "real" world and back to work. But it's too soon to get depressed about that yet. Still have Maine to get through.
Date: 2008-07-26
From: Gorham, NH

To: Carlo Col Tentsite
Miles today: 17.0

Up at dawn and (although not healthy) had breakfast at McDonalds. There was another hiker there who had stayed at the Barn last night and had a ride back to the trail. I tagged along and was on the trail hiking by 9am.The weather realy warmed up today (80's) and it looks like there will not be any rain. Because today is Saturday, and there are a lot of side trails in this area, the local hikers are out in force. Throughout the day the trail went over (at higher elevations) large bouldars and slabs of rock. Again, my gratitude it was not raining.The first three miles are pretty flat and easy to traverse. Then I began climing up towards Mt. Hayes and afterwards Cascade Mountain. These mountains begin the Mahoosuc Range that continues well into Maine. Began to run across several campsites and a shelter (Gentian Pond). Moss Pond is shortly ahead and I could hear the bull frogs (or at least some type of frogs) making their distinctive sounds. I also saw large animal print indentations in the ground. I think they were moose prints although I didn't see any moose scat in the area. I just realized I still haven't seen a moose yet. But there will be plenty of opportunities in Maine.Next, a two-mile (or so) hike up to Mt. Success. This was a "challenging" hike to say the least and went up over 1,500 feet in elevation. I was surprised to find out that there are more miles of the Mahoosuc Range in New Hampshire than in Maine. These mountains begin to climb up to over 3,000 feet and will eventually get to a range height of 4,000 feet at Speck Mountain. But that's up ahead a day or so.Only two more miles to the Maine border. It is marked by a sign in a forest in the middle of nowhere. Near the sign were several zip lock bags that contained messages from hikers to other hikers. None for me.So here is the last state to hike. Pretty quickly I ran into the first of many bog log walkways that get you across (usually) the swamp-like waters. I say usually because sometimes those logs will sink under your weight and you find your legs buried under water. And you never seem to be able to tell which of the planks/logs will sink until you have stepped on them and it is too late.There is a shelter and tentsite (Carlo Col) that I decide to stay at for the night. It is less than a mile inside Maine, but almost half a mile off the trail. Regardless I opt to stay there for the night and am more than happy with my 17 miles for the day. There are a lot of flying insects at the site and I decide to use my tent tonight. Tomorrow will be what is called the hardest mile on the AT - the Mahoosuc Notch.
Date: 2008-07-29
From: Andover Guest House

To: Bemis Mountain Lean-To
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: scattered clouds

As mentioned in my prior journal entry, I'd been offered a ride back to the trail by another hiker who was going to do some slackpacking. What I didn't find out until later was that he was leaving town at 6am. That really sucked because I never really planned on checking out of the motel before 9am. Yet, I went ahead and hit the trail early today - probably the earliest since back at Bears Den in Virginia.Weather today and tommorrow looks to be outstanding - sunny and in the low 70's. Maybe I can put in some serious miles given my early start. That reminds me: I still haven't manahed to complete a 30-mile day on this trip. Came close with 29-miles one day, but that was it. Now I'm wondering if I will even get the opportunity given the terrain in Maine. The first 10-12 miles were a breeze today. Nothing major to go over from a elevation standpoint. There was even a section where the hiking was only at the 1,200 foot elevation level. But that all came to a screeching halt when I got to Old Blue. From that point until I finished for the day there were continuous mountains in the Bemis Range at a elevation of 3,500 feet. What made things worse was that there was no water (that I could find) through the entire range. So I climbed up and over Blue Mountain. Old Blue had some great views on top. My guidebook said I would then approach Bemis Stream Trail - which I did. But I was working on the assumption that there would be water there (why else the name of the trail?). But there was no water source or it had somehow dried up.Then there are three peaks that have to be gone over on the Bemis Range. The first was the West Peak and it had some nice views. But the other two peaks (East and Third) were all "treed in" at the top and very little to see.The climbing was rough (what else is new?). Probably I would never have made it to the Bemis Mountain Lean-To if I had not left so early this morning. So that worked out for the best.The Lean-To had water via a spring. That was pretty important because the next water source was a further four miles up the trail and over some more mountains.Met even more southbound thru-hikers at the shelter for the night. I'm really surprised there are so many passing through this area in late July. In 2006 I came through around the same time and very few other SOBOs were around. Maybe there is some kind of new trend to do more south-bound thru-hikes than before.Climbing up Moody Mountain
Date: 2008-08-03
From: Little Bigelow Lean-To

To: Otter Pond Stream
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: light rain

Today was a pretty special day for me. I crossed Long Falls Dam road, which is the 2,000-mile marker for a northbound hike. Less than 200 miles to go. It began to really sink in that I was going to be able to finish this thru-hike. After my aborted 2005 northbound attempt, I really wondered if I would ever make it. Now all I have to do is take my time and not do something stupid like having a serious injury.Woke up to sunny skies. Looks like the weather gods were indeed going to be nice today. From looking at the elevation for today's hike, this looks to be a pretty easy day. Got to cross on a footbridge at Bog Brook and then hiked around Flagstaff Lake. As I got to the south end of Flagstaff Lake, I heard some kids yelling. They were swimming in the lake, having a great time. But it was only around 9am. I guess the water was warm enough for them.Then the emotional crossing of the 2,000 mile mark (written right in the middle of the road). Bumped into three thru-hikers sitting by the side of the road. They had plans to hitch into whatever was the nearest town (???) and drink some beer to celebrate the 2,000 miles. Since today is Sunday I'm wondering if they could even buy beer. None of my business and I kept my mouth shut.Another footbridge and then a climb up and over Roundtop Mountain. But even that was only a 600 foot climb over a mile and a half distance. Then hiked along the south shore of West Carry Pond, stopping at the West Carry Pond Lean-To for some water and a break. Just a short ways is a small but nice sandy beach that would be great for swimming from.The next part of the day consisted primarily of crossing logging roads, passing East Carry Pond, and stopping in At Pierce Pond Lean-To for a late lunch. Nearby to the Lean-To is Harrison Camp. I didn't stop there but believe it serves as a hostel for hikers during the summer months. Pierce Pond was really pretty. The trail went directly across the top of the Pierce Pond dam. The stream below was roaring as it plunged through the gorge on its way to the Kennebec River. The trail went right along the stream edge. The woods adjacent to the gorge covered with moss.Finally, a number of more streams and a nearby waterfall (Pierce Pond Stream) off a short distance on a side trail. This segment of trail crosses a lot of swampland. Earlier I had considered trying to reach the Kennebec River ferry (canoe crossing) today. But it was getting late, another three miles and I'd already hiked 19 miles for the day. So, I opted to find a good tenting spot near Otter Pond Stream and call it a night. Tommorrow will be a quick trip to the ferry in the morning and on from there.Laying in my tent tonight it began to sink in that very soon I'd be finished with this hike, and would have to get back to the "normalcy" of the real world. Even though I have gradually become mentally tired of all the hiking and camping, and stinking, it has become my daily routine. In some ways I'll be glad to have that routine end, but in other ways that realization is depressing.East Carry Pond
Date: 2008-08-29
To: Last Entry
Miles today: 0.0

This will probably be my last entry unless I think of something else important.In a nutshell, here are my suggestions for a successful thru-hike:1. Have your head in the right place.2. Have around $3,000 available (not counting gear cost).3. Be flexible and keep a sense of humor.4. Keep a journal and take a lot of photos.5. Be social and make friends.6. If you aren't happy hiking - figure out the problem; solve it or end the hike.7. Have fun - smile every morning - laugh every evening.8. HYOH.Good luck to everyone. Keep in touch.
Date: 2008-03-08
To: Almost ready!
Miles today: 0.0

Hi everyone! As most of you know, I will be starting my thru hike of the Appalachian Trail March 16th. During my 6-month hike, I will be sending out group e-mails whenever possible to update my progress. [n.b. I have started posting on Trailjournals for Troutbum, b/c he decided he wanted to do this, but only after he'd already left for Springer Mountain, Ga. - T's g.f.] Thanks for all the support and prayers. I will miss all those I said goodbye to recently. I look forward to seeing you all when I get back. I'll talk to you soon,Tom (Troutbum)
Date: 2008-03-12
To: Last email from home
Miles today: 0.0

Hi everyone. Just a quick note before I leave for my adventure on the trail. I have almost everything placed in storage, the electric and gas will be turned off tomorrow, and I must return my cable modem now. This will be my last message until I get to a library or hostel.The following address will answer most of your questions. It belongs to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, which is located at the half way point in Harpers Ferry West Virginia:http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/pp.aspx?c=jkLXJ8MQKtH&b=727749 I hope to reach there around June 15th. The question as to why I am doing this is a tough one. Call it a mid-life crisis if you want. I cannot afford the red sports car, so this is the next best thing. Most importantly, I do not want to look back at the end of my life and have regrets. I look forward to seeing most of you when I get back in 6 months. To those of you living far away, hopefully I will get to see you too.I wanted to say more, but I have gotta go. I will miss you all.I'll talk to you soon,Tom [n.b. We spent thursday nite, Friday, and a good part of Saturday getting the last of Tom's stuff out of his place & cleaning, so "Troutbum" & his buddy could get on the road to GA! - Troutbum's g.f.] - Troutbum's g.f.
Date: 2008-03-16
From: Springer Mtn. GA

To: Stover Creek Shelter
Miles today: 2.5
Weather: clear sky

Please be aware that not all the listings will be completely accurate as to where Troutbum (Tom) stayed each night and the exact mileage per day, because where I do not have exact details from him, I am having to guesstimate where he stopped for the night, within the guidelines of mileages he lists in his emails & places from which he writes or calls on specific dates. Hopefully when Troutbum (Tom) returns to Ohio after his mighty trek, he will go back over the whole trail journal and reconstruct anything that I might have inadvertenly posted incorrectly. ~ Mahalo & Aloha - Troutbum's girlfriend (Holly)
Date: 2008-03-19
From: Blood Mountain Shelter

To: Neels Gap GA
Miles today: 2.4
Weather: moderate rain

Hey everyone! Well, I made it to the trail, thanks in part to my parents, my girlfriend Holly, and the incredible driving of my friend Pat. Could not have done it without the support. Thanks again.I am about 31 miles into the trail, staying at a hostel at Neels Gap. Picked the right day to stop. Got here about 11:00 A.M. today (Wednesday) and it has been raining all day. Getting ready to eat an all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner with all the fixings. When I got to Georgia on Saturday night, Pat and I stayed at a hostel that I thought was near the trail, since it caters to hikers. Turned out to be 2 hours away from the trail head at Springer Mountain. Looked a lot closer on the atlas. I only hiked 3 miles the first day. Needed a break after all the running around of the last month. Hiked 11 miles on Monday, 14 miles on Tuesday, and 3 miles today. The last three were a lot of fun. Went over Blood Mountain, the highest peak in Georgia. It rained the entire time, with fog and gale force winds at the top. I am just grateful and did not have to climb down the slippery rock slope covered in ice. I am also grateful I did not have to give up a pint of blood to Blood Mountain. I am meeting many interesting people. The most interesting is Andy [n.b. I think this is "Moss" - Troutbum's g.f.]. He showed up with a 15-pound pack with only a tent, some clothes, and some food. No sleeping bag. He has been building fires to keep warm. He made it to the hostel this afternoon, while others I thought for sure would make it have already dropped out. People have been giving Andy gear along the way, and he is getting a used sleeping bag today for 40 bucks. Wish I could have outfitted so cheaply. I am really rooting for him. I am feeling pretty good. No blisters yet. I am surprised that I can make it up these 700-foot rises in elevation without stopping. It is going down that hurts the most. Left hip has been hurting, but thanks to the miracle of Aleve, it is not so bad [n.b. Hip pain was resolved by adjusting pack - T's g.f.]. Gotta go! They are closing up the store. Hope all is well, and keep those E-mails coming. I really appreciate the support. Thanks, Troutbum (Tom)- Troutbum's g.f.
Date: 2008-03-22
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Hiawasee GA
Miles today: 10.6

I got a phone call from Troutbum today & he is doing very well on the A.T. He's already in Hiawassee, Ga., and thus has done about 66 miles!!! He is in very good spirits and seems to be making friends. He's solved the sore-hip problem by adjusting his backpack, and he's feeling really good, just sore when he goes up and down hills, otherwise really cranking out the miles and having a good time. He's sleeping in the tent & doing great. I really miss him a lot. - Troutbum's g.f.
Date: 2008-03-25
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Franklin NC
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: clear sky

Hey everybody! Well, I made it into Franklin, N.C. in a roundabout way. I'll get to that in a minute.Steve Miller wrote a song that has the line "You got to go through Hell before you get to Heaven." That is what happened today. Last night it got down to about 13 degrees - right at the limit of my 15 degree bag. Water bottles were frozen solid. It snowed the day before. Made everything look interesting. This morning we had to climb Mt. Albert, which is a tough climb, needing to grab onto trees to get up the rocks. Almost straight up. Then came heaven at the top. There is a fire tower with an incredible panoramic view of North Carolina. That view is the reason I went hiking. Blue mountains everywhere! I am feeling pretty good. I have done about 103 miles in ten days. I am ahead of my projections. I was going to stay in a shelter tonight, but a trail angel offered us a ride into town. This was a fortunate thing. My water bladder (no, not my pee bladder) had a catastrophic failure and leaked into my pack. As a result, my down sleeping bag got wet and a 20-25 degree night would have been tough. There are four of us staying at Ron Havens Starliner Hotel. Ron is a famous trail angel that does anything for hikers. Staying in the room is Moss. He has made it further than anyone would have thought possible. The other two guys are Top Hat and Grasshopper. We all started about the same time. We will catch a shuttle back to the trail tomorrow, after eating a free breakfast at the First Babtist Church. I have found out my slow pace has allowed me to stay on the trail. I can liken my pace to a bicycle with a granny gear. I have been keeping it in the lowest gear going up hills, and keeping the brakes on going down hill. I believe this has protected my knees. Today I was able to ratchet it up a notch and moved a little faster. I am looking forward to getting alot of my cardiovascular system back that I had when I raced bicycles. And my legs - that would be nice. Well, I gotta go - there is a 30 minute limit on this computer. Again, I appreciate the support Thanks, Troutbum n.b. Troutbum says he was not kidding about Albert Mountain being just about a straight-up trail, at times close to 70-80% incline! They had to use rocks and trees to pull themselves up. Troutbum agrees with Jenx, who writes, "Whoever laid this portion of the trail must have been mad at his wife. He used no switch backs, went straight up the Mtn." [You can find Jenx's posts on trailjournals.com too!] T & I may have to have a little talk about the use of sexist stereotypes, in trail journals or otherwise ;o) - T's g.f.
Date: 2008-03-29
From: Wesser NC

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center - "Zero" Day
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

We spent T's zero day at the N.O.C., drove over to Fontana Village to get the first Mail Drop boxes & sort through them, got some awesome grub at River's End Restaurant - one of the N.O.C. eateries, visited the Outfitter's, took a nice, long nap, got down to the hard work of re-packing, visited with some other hikers, and hit the sack early so T could leave by 7am on Sunday. I was disappointed not to meet Uncle Tom's wife, Auntie Mame & her twin sister V8, as well as the legendary Moss; but I did get to meet several other great people, including Kyanite (Ian) and Sunkist (Christina) & another fascinating fellow whose names (trail & off-trail) I have already managed to forget (due to one of the many joys of aging, extensive short-term memory loss). - Troutbum's g.f.
Date: 2008-03-30
From: Wesser NC

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Tom's (Troutbum) first day back on the Trail after a zero & he was nervous about the climb. He was aiming & hoping to reach Sassafras Gap Shelter (abt 11 miles in), but made it to Brown Fork Gap Shelter instead (16 miles)! - Troutbum's g.f.
Date: 2008-04-02
From: Fontana Village

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: clear sky

Fontana Dam access point closed Monday, and hikers had a 2-mile detour, so it was really a 13-mile day. But who's counting. ;o) (HYOH)Hikers are required to stay in shelters in the Great Smoky Mountain park, unless shelters are full, and then they may tent it. Given the rain in the park, Troutbum says he's been very grateful for the shelters!- T's g.f. (4/6/08)
Date: 2008-04-06
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: few clouds

After reversing course abt 3 miles for a "nero" in Gatlinburg to get out of the rain/mud/rain on 4/5, Troutbum and friends returned to the Smokies on 4/6 to rejoin the Trail & rides from "Trail Angels" ensured no lost mileage & getting back to the right starting points on the Trail. Not only that, but T reports that practically the moment they alighted on the berm from the Trail in the steam/fog/rain on 4/5, a trail angel showed up to drive them into town; they didn't need to hitchhike (which is illegal in some states anyhow); the universe/trail provided. As Prof. Lockhart says in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, "This is just like magic!" - Troutbum's g.f.
Date: 2008-04-07
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Davenport Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: broken clouds

Troutbum called from Davenport Gap today, saying he's tired of rain, grateful for shelters, and glad to be done hiking the Great Smokies. Next major stop: Hot Springs, NC, for refueling and a little down time. - T's g.f.
Date: 2008-04-08
From: Davenport Gap Shelter

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: clear sky

Troutbum called 4/8/08 from Davenport Gap. He said he will be glad to leave the Smokies, which are a "boreal forest" and therefore quite rainy a good bit of the year. He thinks someone told him they get about 120" of rain each year in the Smokies! Yes, that's 1-2-0! In other words, 10 feet. Of rain. Per year. No wonder it was so muddy! Looking forward to hearing from T once he reaches Hot Springs (another 36 miles), probably on Thursday 4/10/08 or Friday 4/11/08 [n.b. I have been estimating some of the locations where he has camped or sheltered, b/c he doesn't always give me exact mileage and locations, but days like this I can give you exact details - T's g.f.]. He said to me recently that he felt he had really lucked out on how well his gear & stuff has turned out for him, so I had to remind him that he worked damned hard to prepare for this adventure & it wasn't luck but hard work & tons of preparation paying off for him. So if you see him, give him a noodge for me. ;o) Aloha! - Troutbum's g.f. p.s. I looked it up online, it's not 120" of rain per year. It's more like 80" of rain per year. "In the Smokies, the average annual rainfall varies from approximately 55 inches in the valleys to over 85 inches on some peaks¢more than anywhere else in the country except the Pacific Northwest. During wet years, over eight feet of rain falls in the high country." See GSMNP pages: http://www.nps.gov/grsm/naturescience/ - T's g.f.