morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-09-08
From: Hexacuba shelter

To: Glencliff hostel, NH
Miles today: 14.7

Late start, rough terrain and another 90 day made for slow going. About noon I decided to make for the hostel that was just off of the trail because the mileage would be OK and I wanted a shower. It was also supposed to rain hard during the night. The shelter is a big old house out in a small town of about 12 other houses. It was only $15 for a bunk and a shower. Turkey Jerkey, Worldwide and some other people that I know are here. Met some Sobo's from New Zealand.
Date: 2007-09-09
From: Glencliff hostel, NH

To: Glencliff hostel, NH
Miles today: 0.0

Took a zero because it was raining hard all day and this section is supposed to be a bad idea in the rain. Went out to breakfast at Calamity's and then got a ride into Woodstock for half price appetizers at a local bar. I saw Melk, Ronin and Persistant while I was there. Hopefully I will get out tomorrow.
Date: 2007-09-11
From: Glencliff hostel, NH

To: Glencliff hostel, NH
Miles today: 0.0

Two more zero days because of weather. Hiked out on the 12th with my tail between my legs after screwing off for 3 days. On the third day I organized movie day. I went around in the morning and asked each group what movies they wanted to see and then posted a list of the showing times. Someone would then go around and announce, "5 minutes until movie time." We even served popcorn. If you have to lose a day to weather this is the way to do it. Some of the choices; Almost Famous, Super Troopers and Wedding Crashers.
Date: 2007-09-12
From: Glencliff hostel, NH

To: Goose Pond
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: overcast clouds

It was nice to be hiking again after all of those days off. The terrain here is very rugged but very beautiful. I hiked out of Glencliff with MOF (Man of FIre) We are going to see if we can finish togather. The climb up Moosilauke was not as bad as we had been told. We probably could have made it in the rain but it would definetly have been more dangerous. It was cold and windy on top. We tented tonight by a small lake in the middle of nowhere about four miles off of the trail.
Date: 2007-09-13
From: Goose Pond

To: Lincoln, NH
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: broken clouds

Another beautiful day as we climbed Kinsman Mtn. We stopped at our first hut for some soup and were treated very nicely. We were pleasantly surprised and told them so. (Thanks Michele) Hitched in to Chets once we got down the mountain. Chets is a new hostel in the house of an ex hiker, a great guy named Chester. Nutella, Worldwide, Keymaster, Turkey Jerkey and a lot of our friends were there also. Had a good time hanging out.
Date: 2007-09-15
From: Lincoln, NH

To: Lincoln, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Two zero days in Lincoln. The first day we did our resupply and chores. By the time we were finished it was to late to hike out and get up the mountain to a safe camsite. The next morning of course it was raining cats and dogs. Kept it up for most of the day. I cooked a spagetti dinner for the house which we ate off of for two days. A bunch of people caught up to us on the second day, Hawkeye and Wyoming, Jake etc. We also saw Superbad at the movies. Joe Porter this movie is for you.
Date: 2007-09-16
From: Lincoln, NH

To: Garfield Ridge campsite
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Got started at about 1000 and then went straight up the ridge. Jake and Grizzle gave us a ride in there rented car and then were headed north. I am glad we waited for a good day to do the ridge. The scenery was pretty awesome. I took some good pictures that hopefully some day I will be able to get on here. It was in the 30's that night in the shelter. We went to bed by 2000 just to get in the warm sleeping bags. There was a heavy frost on the ground when we woke up.
Date: 2007-09-17
From: Garfield Ridge campsite

To: Zealand Falls Hut
Miles today: 9.7

We did the short miles on purpose so that we could do "work for stay" at the hut. You are limited on where you can stay up here, by the terrain and by the regulations. We finished hiking around 1530 and relaxed awhile before they put us to work. I lost a coin toss with MOF so he got to wipe down shelves and I got to shift the compost from the privy. It was like working in the garden. They fed us a good meal after an hour of work and we got a bunk for the night because they were not full. Three girls made up the hut crew and that is always a nice treat.
Date: 2007-09-18
From: Zealand Falls Hut

To: Mitzpah Hut
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: few clouds

One good thing about staying in the huts is that you get out early. On the road by 0720. We had an easy 8 miles to start out over an old railroad bed but then the last six was much harder. We still finished by 1520 again. This time though the hut was full with about 50 school kids. We did work for stay and slept on the tables in the dining room after everyone went to bed at 2130. Our work for stay was shifting poo again and then after they fed us they had us give a talk to the kids about thru-hiking for 30 minutes. I thought we were a little boring, but the chaperones said we were the hit of the day. The kids signed a piece of cardboard which I kept. One of them wrote "Don't get eaten" which I thought was a very sage piece of advice.
Date: 2007-09-19
From: Mitzpah Hut

To: Osgood Tent site
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: few clouds

Up and over Mount Washington on an absolutely gorgeous day. Visibility of 60 plus miles and temps on the top in the 60's. Three good days in a row is unheard of up here. We made good time on the way up even though it was a tough climb. I called my Mom from the top to wish her a happy birthday, (Love you Mom). Hard rocky climb on the way down which really slowed us up. We had to hike in the dark for half an hour to make the tent site. We camped there with Don who offered to give MOF a ride in the morning to get new boots. This was a 12 hour plus hiking day.
Date: 2007-09-20
From: Osgood Tent site

To: Pinkham notch, NH
Miles today: 4.8
Weather: fog

I decided to get off the trail with MOF so he could get his boots and we could keep hiking togather. It was a tough decision for me because he is getting back on in Gorham which means I will deliberlatly skip 20 miles of trail. I like having a hiking partner after almost 800 miles on my own, so I am going to do it. We got a ride into North Conway from some people we met at the visitor center, (Thank you again) and then Don picked us up from there and took us back to Gorham to get a motel. Don was a great guy and he went out of his way for us. We did laundry and then vegged out for the rest of the night.
Date: 2007-09-21
From: Pinkham notch, NH

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

Zero in Gorham. Resupplied for the trip out and then put togather two boxes and sent them on ahead. That will just about finish me up for the journey. We had a good breakfast this morning. I saw Rosie on my way to the library. She had flip-flopped and had just finished the trail here in Gorham. It was great to see her again. Rosie is the nicest woman on the trail, hands down. Back to the room tonight to pack and hopefully head out in the morning. The trees are starting to change here.
Date: 2007-09-22
From: Gorham, NH

To: Gentian Pond camp
Miles today: 11.8

We ate another good breakfast at the hotel and then Bruno gave us a ride to the trailhead. Started hiking at about 1000 on another beautiful day. The threat of rain that was supposed to show up has not yet. We were sluggish with the heavy packs and the steep uphill. When we got to the shelter there was an older couple there. They were extremely drunk. They had a 14 man shelter completely covered with beer cans and half eaten food. The guy was not wearing a shirt and was completely covered in ashes. It turns out the ashes were from the womens parents who had been cremated. They carried them up the hill in a Trails End popcorn can and them drunkenly spread them around. I immediately decided to head up the hill and tent away from them. MOF decided to take his chances. They had a bunch of food with them so they gave MOF some steak tips and rice for his dinner. It turns out that they made the rice in the empty popcorn tin, once they had washed out the ashes. Yum Yum, taste like dead people. We were in bed by 8, drunks and all. Maine tomorrow.
Date: 2007-09-23
From: Gentian Pond camp

To: Full Goose shelter
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: clear sky

The 9.6 miles took about 8 hours which shows how slow things have gotten. More hard work today than any other, so far. I did my little celebration dance at the Maine border, to celebrate being in Maine and being the hell out of New Hampshire. Today was clear again, but the winds were blowing 30-40 mph. It almost blew us right off the mountain. In the shelter tonight with the 2 hobbits, MOF, Melk, Ronin and Persistant.
Date: 2007-09-24
From: Full Goose shelter

To: Baldpate Lean to
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

Up and rolling by 0800 and down into Mahoosuc Notch. The notch was a huge rock scramble, but a lot of fun. We even had to scramble pass the dead moose which had stumbled in there and died. It was mostly decomposed but still had a little smell to it. The Mahoosuc Arm which followed the notch was a long viscious climb up a very steep hill. Another nice day as far as the weather went. Stayed with hobbits and MOF.
Date: 2007-09-25
From: Baldpate Lean to

To: Hall Mountain Lean to 
Miles today: 14.0

It is getting hot in the state of Maine. Today it was in the mid 80's. The trees are starting to change though and we are getting some good color. I am taking a lot of scenery pictures. We will see if I get anything. We had some actual trail to walk today, no hand over hand climbs. I ran into Luna at the end of the day. She had heard I was coming from the Hobbits so she made me a sandwich for dinner. It was nice to see her again.
Date: 2007-09-26
From: Hall Mountain Lean to 

To: Bemis Lean to
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: scattered clouds

A lot of big tough climbs today. It was like being on a stair stepper for hours at a time. Had to use your hands alot to pull yourself up. Moody and Old Blue Mtn were both pretty rough. It was hot as hell again today. I had to drink water like I was back in Virginia. Saw another porcupine today. He looked hot also. I could have done more miles but MOF was behind me and rain chased me into the shelter anyway. Sir Privywinks joined are group today.
Date: 2007-09-27
From: Bemis Lean to

To: Rangeley, ME
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: light rain

Up and out by 0715 because I wanted to get to the hostel in town and resupply. We were completey out of food at the end of this day. I even scraped the peanut butter out of the bottom of the jar. Because of this my pack was nice and light. The first four and a half miles were rough because of steep terrain and because everything was wet. I somehow managed to go all day without a fall but I had to slide on my butt on a few occasions. After the first part the trail smoothed out and I rolled along like my ass was on fire. I hit the road at 1600 with the rain right behind me. Another retired military guy picked me up. He drove me around trying to find the hostel because the address was not in the book. I finally had him drop me off at a phone book and I called Bob at the hostel. He came and got me in a driving thunderstorm. A good old southern rain. Bob is a super guy and the hostel was nice. It sets on a lake in the middle of Maine. Coldylocks and Sudoku showed up first and then the Hobbits rolled in later. We had a great dinner at The Red Onion. Best pizza on the trail. I stayed up until almost one because I am pretty sure I am going to zero tomorrow.
Date: 2007-09-28
From: Rangeley, ME

To: Gull Pond Lodge, Rangeley, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Took a zero. Got my box, went shopping, ate food, etc. After this I am going back to the hostel and lay around until I make some phone calls tonight. It is cloudy today but is supposed to clear tomorrow. I will flip-flop from Monson if I run out of time.
Date: 2007-09-29
From: Gull Pond Lodge, Rangeley, ME

To: Poplar Ridge Lean to
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: broken clouds

Got started about 1030 after Bob and Gwyndie the dog dropped me off at the trailhead. Moosehead and Cul de Sac were there and caught a ride back into town with him. It was a hard tough day up and over Saddleback Mtn. and the Horn. The wind almost knocked me off of the Horn. It was a full house at the baseball bat shelter with Luna, PW, Cul de, Moosehead, Worldwide and No Pain. I got the details of the bachelor party from Luna, including the story about naked hot tub guy!
Date: 2007-09-30
From: Poplar Ridge Lean to

To: Crocker Cirque camsite
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Got started by 0715. It has warmed up a little bit but is still in the 30's at night. I could have made more miles but there was a big climb coming up and no place to camp until you had completed the climb. Just me and Worldwide made it in here for the night.
Date: 2007-10-01
From: Crocker Cirque camsite

To: Avery Col campsite
Miles today: 15.3

Two big climbs today as I finished the Crocket Mtns. and half finished the Bigalows. I am camped alone between the two peaks of the Averys, in Avery col. I got in and got set up just as it got dark. It was so cold I ate my snacks and went right to bed. Everybody else headed into town this morning and did not catch up to me.
Date: 2007-10-02
From: Avery Col campsite

To: Pierce Pond lean to
Miles today: 24.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Big day, considering I did not get started until about 0830 in the morning. It was cold and quiet in the col and I could not get up any earlier. It took most of the morning to finish the Bigalows. Beautiful views all day. After I got out of the mountains it was smooth sailing the rest of the day. I made great time but I still had to hike two hours in the dark to make it to the shelter. I wanted to sleep in a shelter instead of tent for a change. When I got there, G was there and we caught up on all the news we had about other hikers. Me and G started on the same day and met each other at the first hostel on 15 April, a long time ago. The long day left only 3 miles to get to the ferry in the morning. Skipped dinner again because it was late and my spoon was broken.
Date: 2007-10-03
From: Pierce Pond lean to

To: Pleasant Pond lean to
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Slept in until 0700 because I only had the three miles to go before the ferry at Kennebec and they do not start until 1000. I was in the first canoe to go over with Birdstar. I took a picture of the ferryman who was quite the Maine character. I walked up to the Post Office and bumped my box up to Monson and then hitched down to the store to buy some snacks for the next two days. We sat around there for awhile and ate lunch and talked. The owner, Steve, gave us some awseome trail magic, chips, drink mix and Ben and Jerrys icecream. He also gave us a ride back to the trail. Left out of there fat and happy to hike to the first shelter with G and the Hobbits.
Date: 2007-10-04
From: Pleasant Pond lean to

To: Horshoe Canyon lean to
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: clear sky

Another big day and another beautiful day in Maine. I can not describe how gorgeous the scenery has been. It has been just great with temps in the 70's or 80's and the sky a dark shade of blue. Fall colors are everywhere and you keep walking along these rocky streams or passed some remote lake. I took a break at one and watched two river otters swim right by me. I took some great pictures on Moxie Bald. I got rolling by 0700 and made my 22 miles by 1745. Myself, G and the Hobbits here for the night.
Date: 2007-10-05
From: Horshoe Canyon lean to

To: Monson, ME - Shaws boarding house
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: few clouds

Took are time because we were just going to town. Started about 0830 and were in town before noon. I got a single room at Shaws and picked up my boxes at the Post Office. I will probably zero here tomorrow before heading in to the 100 mile wilderness. We should reach Katahdin around the 12th and then still have 3 days to get in a summit. There is no way that this beautiful weather that they have been having can hold. They say this is the nicest fall on record in 47 years. This will probably be the last entry until after I summit.
Date: 2007-10-06
From: Monson, ME - Shaws boarding house

To: Monson
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: haze

Saw the famous bluegrass get togather in the general store the night before. It was awesome! At least 15 musicians were there sitting around in a circle. They took a turn naming a song and then everyone would just play. It was neat to watch. The next day I sat around and ate and goofed off.
Date: 2007-10-08
From: Long Pond stream lean to

To: Chairback Gap lean to
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: broken clouds

Terrible crappy day. I don't know what was wrong today but I could not get in the miles. First of all it was rainy and cold all day with the temperature not getting above 50. To top it off the terrain sucked. As it turned out this was the last bad terrain day. There was just a lot of steep up and down hill. I pulled into a shelter at 1630 and just called it a day. Worldwide was already there and White Crow came in later. After we were in bed Luna and Sir Privywinks rolled in.
Date: 2007-10-09
From: Chairback Gap lean to

To: Logan Brook lean to
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: overcast clouds

This was probably the last sunny, beautiful day on the trail. Temperatures were in the low 60's but it felt warmer because the sun was out. I finished up the rest of the mountains today and had a great view from Whitecap Mtn. I could finally see Katahdin. I took some good pictures of K.
Date: 2007-10-10
From: Logan Brook lean to

To: Potaywadjo lean to
Miles today: 23.1
Weather: light rain

Started out with a little climb in the morning and then had about 15 miles of a gentle road walk. It was great, you could actually take your eyes off of the trail and look around a little bit. The leaves are turning like crazy. I caught up to Turkey Jerkey at the end of the day. Spent the night with him, WW, and White Crow. There were also about a 100 mice there. Someone wrote in the journal that they should call the 100 mile wilderness "The Empire of the Rodents." I think that would be a good name as they seem to be everywhere. We have been leaving a trash bag on the ground for them to rummage thru. It keeps them away from are real food. We call it the "decoy bag."
Date: 2007-10-11
From: Potaywadjo lean to

To: Rainbow Springs campsite
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Another big day over a little rougher ground than yesterday. I started early and walked until almost dark. A 21 tomorrow will get me to the Birches and set me up to summit Katahdin on the 12th. I am camped along side of a large lake. Nobody here but me tonight. The rest of them ducked into Whitehorse landing and never caught back up. I started a fire in the fire pit and sat by it while I cooked my food. When I went back to my tent another mouse had chewed a hole in it. There was no food in there but I guess he needed to chew his way in to figure that out. This started a night long battle between me and them that I lost badly. I hung my food on a mouse hanger that someone had rigged up in the campground. Three times in the middle of the night I walked out into the rain to check on the bag. There was a mouse in it each time. I would whack on the bag and the mouse would shoot out the top thru the hole that he had chewed in there. I finally gave up the struggle and retreated to my tent.
Date: 2007-10-12
From: Rainbow Springs campsite

To: Millinocket, AT Lodge
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: clear sky

Unfortunately my look with the weather had run out. It start raining in the middle of the night and when my alarm went off at 0500 it was coming down in buckets. I turned off the alarm and went back to sleep until 0630. At 0700 I ran out into the rain and brought my food bag into the tent to see how bad the mouse had hurt my food supply. Most of the damage was confined to the trash bag, but he did nibble on some of the snacks so I had to through them away. I ate breakfast and packed up my stuff in my backpack but stayed in my tent because it was still raining hard. At about 0930 it slowed down a little and I took down the inside of my tent but before I could finish it came back hard and rained for the next two hours. I sat there, cold and miserable with the water slowly leaking in under the fly. I cooked up some ramen just to get a little warmth in my belly. At 1130 I finally got mad at the world and just packed up in the rain. I managed to keep my sleeping bag and clothes dry but everything else got a little wet. I started walking as fast as I could. It rained on me the whole day. The trail was completely covered in water, sometimes up to a foot deep. My feet were totally soaked in the first hour. I pushed on to the store at Abol bridge. When I came out I was soaked to the bone. I had a cup of coffee at the store and then managed to hitch the 18 miles into town. It worked out good because Bigfoot and Skip were at the hostel. The next day they said I could catch a ride out with them and summit Katahdin. I took a long hot shower and had a good meal at the AT cafe. Cul de Sac, Moosehead and the Hobbits are also in town.
Date: 2007-10-13
From: Katahdin Stream campground

To: Baxter Peak, Katahdin summit
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: broken clouds

K day. Hard to believe it is really here. Bigfoot, Skip and his friend, and I had a hearty breakfast at the AT cafe and then drove out to the campground. We registered at the ranger station. I was thru hiker #420 which apparently has some significance to the dope smoking community. We started out togather but because I am faster I was soon hiking alone. As someone else said on there summit, during the first part of the summit you are flying along on pure adrenaline. The trail is easy and you have been waiting for this moment for 6 months! It was a great day even though it was cloudy at the start. I caught up to Moosehead, Cul de Sac, and their dad after the first mile. It was nice to meet their dad and great that he could summit with them. The next two miles were a hard rock scramble. I put my poles away and used my hands to pull myself up at a lot of spots. The wind started to blow like crazy and it got very cold right before you popped out of the tree line. At about mile number 4 a small miracle happened. You hiked up through the clouds and the wind and came out into nothing but sunshine. The terrain became less steep and you could see the summit about a mile and a half away. This last little bit of easy trail gave me a chance to think about the journey that got me here. When I started way back in Georgia it never occured to me that I might actually get here. It was somewhat of a shock to be coming to the end. When I got to the top I think I just stood there looking at the sign for at least a minute. I finally snapped out of it and took a few pictures, but decided to wait to take some more when the others came up. I sat in the sun, out of the wind and ate my hiker snacks for the last time. There were a lot of section hikers up there and they congratuated me and ask a bunch of questions about the trip. About an hour later Moosehead, Cul de Sac, and their dad showed up. We popped open the bottle of Champagne they brought and had a small celebration. We all took turns posing on the sign and taking lots of pictures. Moonpie, another thru hiker who I had not met before joined us.At about 1430 we started back down. I was going to catch a ride with Moosehead but I got down hours a head of them. Jake was there in the parking lot and he gave me and Moonpie a ride back to the Lodge. I remember looking at Moonpie and we both said, "Now what the heck do we do." We had been focused on this for so long that we really had not looked beyond it. We were going to celebrate back in town but the summit took so much out of us physically and mentally that we all just cleaned up and went to bed. It is hard to believe it is over.