morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-07-31
From: Stratton Motel -- Stratton, ME

To: Little Bigelow Lean-To
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Sue, the owner of the Stratton motel and 2004 thru-hiker, dropped us off at the trail by 10AM. Late start. I was concerned about completing 15 miles in a short day. It was sunny and very warm already with a steady breeze. No rain in the forecast, so we don't have to worry about taking all day to hike. We got a great view of the Bigelow range ahead, north and south Horn, Bigelow Mountain and Avery Peak. That's where we headed next. We had one steep and rocky ascent after another. We had done most of our elevation gain already in the morning, but each peak required some rock scrambles and gave us views of Horn pond, and many other gorgeous ponds and expansive woods below. There was a small landing strip below, but other than that, no development that we could see. The wind was picking up, and there were clouds around now, but we were worry-free.We had done about 1 1/2 miles per hour until "lunchtime" at 3pm. We still wanted to go 5 miles to the little bigelow lean-to, so we mustered up the strength to do 2 miles per hour the rest of the way. Actually, we are feeling really good. Our feet don't hurt as much as they have in the past. Whether it's because of our lower mileage-per-day as of late or our feet just finally geting used tot he trail, we don't know - but it's great.A little after 6 we were at the little bigelow lean-to, on the other side of Little Bigelow Mountain (our last one for the day). 3 section-hikers are here. We are eager to eat through some of our food. We picked up 4 days of food in Stratton to make it to Monson, ME. So our bags are heavy!
Date: 2012-08-01
From: Little Bigelow Lean-To

To: Pierce Pond Lean-To
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Sunny, blue-sky day today made easy miles even better. We had 2 very small hills to get over, but other than that it was flat as could be, but with some roots and rocks to walk over.There were many ponds that we followed along and boggy areas to move across. Some of the bog bridges were very old, and we somehow made it over them without getting muddy and wet. Others were recently installed, it looked like, by the M.A.T.C. (Maine Appalachian Trail Club), and we enjoyed the fruits of their labor!We took our time at lunch, and made it to Pierce Pond by dinner time. This is the pond where 20-year old hiker Paul A.K.A. "Parkside" drowned earlier this summer. Many memorials made by hikers stand near the water and his picture hangs in the shelter. We've been keeping track of the register entries he made during his hike, as many others have. He was very young and full of life. It's very sad.
Date: 2012-08-02
From: Pierce Pond Lean-To

To: Pleasant Pond Lean-To
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: light rain

This morning we were ferried across the kennebec River with a ferry provided by the ATC. the river is apparently dangerous to cross because of the unpredictablility of water rising, and the current is stronger than it looks. Ferrying is the official route across, although 2 northbounders, Dropout and Lorax, left earlier than us this morning and didn't take the ferry (I guess they found another way to cross!)We got a ride 2 miles west of US 201 to Northern Outdoors, a lodge providing guiding services and accommodations for its patrons. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner (or B/L/D) and so we got some pancakes, eggs and sausage. Snag wasn't feeling very well, which had us worried about the stomach virus again. He couldn't even eat all of his food. We found a computer in the lobby with internet, so i updated trailjournals for a long while and Snag watched some olympic games at the bar. Eventually it was lunchtime. We hadn't planned on staying there for 5 hours, but it happened. By 2:30 we hit the trail again and took our time getting to the shelter, stopping at a stream for a good hour. Our motivation level to hike has really decreased as of late. I'm not sure if we are just done hiking or we don't want this trip to come to a close. We just don't feel the pressure as much to hike, hike, hike! Every day we are confronted with the fact that this trip will end soon.
Date: 2012-08-03
From: Pleasant Pond Lean-To

To: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-To
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Springs and streams are running dry lately, and we've been careful about asking around to make sure water is available ahead on the trail. At noon we stopped for a break and water. The water was running so low that we were scooping what remained into a cup which we then filtered through a bandana (to get what we call the "floaties" out) before treating it. A couple of southbounders assured us that there is a running stream at our destination tonight.We went over Pleasant Pond Mountain first, which had beautiful views and pretty and rocky summit. I try to take in these views as I know there are fewer and fewer to see as we move forward. Bald Mountain was our next climb. It was getting hot out, but some interesting rock features (enormous small house-sized boulders stacked on top of each other) provided colder microclimates that we could tuck into and stay a bit cooler. Ripe and delicious blueberries like to grow on these sunny, bald areas, and we took mouthfuls as we summited.We crossed the west branch of the Piscataquis river, which was running very low (at our ankles). This is the first time Snag and I, over 2,000 miles of hiking the trail, have had to take off our shoes and socks to cross a river. Almost always there are bridges and boards to help us. There is a heavy rope strung across this river along with a life jacket at the south end for times when the water is high and raging. It's a different river than the one I heard about in early June. Some people had to do miles of roadwalking then to avoid both branches of this river, which were too dangerous and high to cross.At the shelter the spring is dry, so it was my task to walk further to the next running stream. It's exhausting at the end of a long day to then walk 1/2 mile to fetch water. We had fetuccini alfredo pasta sides for dinner with 2 tuna packets, but were still hungry after finishing it. Thankfully we will be in Monson after a short hiking day tomorrow. I hear there is BBQ!
Date: 2012-08-04
From: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-To

To: The Lakeshore House -- Monson, ME
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: few clouds

Naughty chipmunks chewed 2 holes in my backpack last night, probably getting after some crumbs in my hipbelt pockets. It's important when hanging backpacks in the shelter to unzip and leave the pack open (after taking all of your food out) so that this doesn't happen. I should know better.Snag and I had 9 fairly easy miles to do this morning into Monson and got a hitch almost instantly by a guy that lives nearby. He took us to the Lakeshore House, one of 2 hostels in town. This one is owned by cheerful proprietor, Rebekah, who welcomed us and invited us to go for a swim in the lake. The water felt so good! There is even a water trampoline, kayaks, and floaty toys to take out in the water. What a great ending to a beautiful day.Now we have the Hundred-Mile Wilderness to plan (our last section of this hike!). This section is the most remote thus far on the trip, and so food planning here is essential. Then we still have some logistics to work out about getting off the trail for good.
Date: 2012-08-05
From: The Lakeshore House -- Monson, ME

To: Shaw's Boarding House -- Monson, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We're here zero-ing in Monson preparing for our last leg of the trip. Many hikers are here: Sharkey and Rummy (they left today), Candyman, Wall Street (just arrived), Sobo Natty and many others. This is a true trail town! Really, we just want to hang on to this trip a little longer. We don't feel too tired or feel the need to take any time off from hiking. This small town just has a neat vibe and we wanted to hang out a bit. By Aug. 15th, we hope to have summited and will be ready to go home. Thanks to all who have signed our guestbook. All of the support has been really special. I love to read that people are enjoying reading about our trip, and even inspiring some to do some hiking! That's awesome! Snag added some photos today on our flickr album of the Whites and some: http://www.flickr.com/photos/76874496@N05/sets/72157629748095459/
Date: 2012-08-06
From: Shaw's Boarding House -- Monson, ME

To: Long Pond Stream Lean-To
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: broken clouds

Snag, Candyman and I started on the trail at 9:30 after leaving Shaw's. After a stay at both places, I prefer the Lakeshore house because of the atmosphere. Shaw's seems more quiet, though, which is nice if you want a good night's sleep.We left Monson with 4 days of food going into the Hundred-mile wilderness. A caution sign is posted stating there is no resupply in this section and to bring 10 days of food in. In actuality, there is resupply at Whitehouse Landing and most thru-hikers at this point can hike 20-miles days and so can complete this section a bit faster.We had one stream crossing where the water was up almost knee-high. It rained last night a good bit, and hopefully this will help raise the water levels (but not too much! We still need to be able to cross rivers). Northbounders Mr. Wrong, Opie and Parmesan passed us and are going faster to do bigger miles today. It seems that many hikers really ramp up the miles in the final week, with the end being so near. There is a pull towards Katahdin. Snag and I decide not to rush, though, because we don't need to. We made it to Long Pond Stream Lean-To. The spring is dry here, so the water source is Long Pond stream, about 1/4 mile walk for Snag tonight to fetch water. 4 weekend hikers are here and had a nice fire for us all. They grilled up steaks and gave us a taste. Yum! We have our plan for Katahdin if all goes well. It has us summiting on the 13th, 7 days away. We can see the light and it's a mix of emotions - anxious and excited, and a little sad.
Date: 2012-08-07
From: Long Pond Stream Lean-To

To: Carl A. Newhall Lean-To
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: clear sky

It was a long day today - good thing the weather couldn't have been better. We woke up chilled, there must have been a cold front that came through last night. It got warm mid-day, but a cloudless, blue sky made for great views and great hiking. Barren Mountain gave the best views today to the north. We thought perhaps we could see Katahdin from there, but no, maybe tomorrow at White Cap Mountain. Water was scarce in the 15 miles around Chairback Mountain, between the shelter we stayed at last night and the Pleasant River. Only one "stream" was present, and that was actually an outlet from West Chairback Pond. We don't like pond water very much. We ate lunch at our only water source and drank up. At our ford across Pleasant River, we realized how slow we had been going all day across Barren Ledges, Barren Mountain, Fourth and Third Mountain, and finally the rocky Columbus and Chairback Mountains. A lot of vertical limbs today and our legs were feeling it, too.We were determined to meet our goal for the day, and so we moved fast to C. A. Newhall shelter, getting in at 7:30. Mr. Wrong, Opie and Parmesan greeted us along with section-hiker Rolling Rock. A family of 3 was tented nearby. The ground around the shelter was rocky, rooty and uneven, so we tented very close to the fire ring, the only flat spot around. We ate our dinner in silence as everyone was going to sleep at 8pm. Hiker midnight.
Date: 2012-08-08
From: Carl A. Newhall Lean-To

To: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-To
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: broken clouds

Mr. Wrong and crew got up at 5AM sharp with an alarm. They like to leave by 6. Snag and I got up before they left, but we left at 6:45. We had more great weather today and ran into lots more people section-hiking and even day hiking. We've been surprised (and a bit disappointed I might add) by this "wilderness" not being so remote. There are gravel roads that provide more access for hikers, and traffic can be heard as we hike nearby, which all but ruins a wilderness experience. Turns out, this section is a narrow corridor of wilderness surrounded by public and private land owned by paper companies. It still is considered the most wild place on the AT, and there is very little resupply here.There were a few mountains to get across today. Yesterday and today will be the last bigger mountains until Katahdin. In between, it looks as if the terrain really flattens out - and we're all looking forward to that. We hiked up Gulf Hagis, West Peak and Hay Mountain before we went up the rocky White Cap, where we got our first view of Katahdin off of the north face. Katahdin: that's where we've been hiking toward this whole time and that's where our hike will end in a few days now. I figure we just need to focus on one day at a time as usual, and before we know it, inevitably, we will get there.Trail magic today! A trail angel left a bag of apples with a note attached that read: "BEARS DO NOT TOUCH, HIKER FOOD!" It gave us a chuckle. We each had an apple for lunch with some peanut butter. In the early afternoon Snag and I were hiking up Little Boardman Mountain when we saw a familiar face. It was BLT, a hiker we had hiked with back in Virginia, and who we stayed in a few hotels with to hide out from hail and snow in late April. He tore his meniscus (knee injury) and had surgery back in May. After taking 2 months off he is back at it, heading south this time. "I'm a dirty southbounder", he says almost shamefully. He's happy to be able to run into some old friends heading south. He has a knee brace and is in good spirits. His name stands for "Better Late Than", not the sandwich that everyone thinks it is.We came across 2 delicious springs today. We stopped at each for along while and pledged to never take good water for granted. We made it to the lean-to too late for a swim. Cooper Falls is right in front of the shelter with a nice swimming hole. Candyman showed up - he had done bigger miles today to catch us. We ate our last dehydrated meal tonight. Tomorrow we will resupply at Whitehouse Landing, a hiker hostel in the middle of the "wildernes". We are excited!
Date: 2012-08-09
From: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-To Camp

To: White House Landing
Miles today: 14.0

If a day were to ever be easy, that would be today. The miles seemed to fly by and we made great time walking from the lean-to to the Whitehouse Landing boat dock. This hostel is situated on the edge of a beautiful lake. Once you come across the side trail to the dock, it is 1 mile on a blue-blazed trail. Once at the dock, you blow the air horn once and the owner rides his boat out to greet you. Accommodations are nice, and the lakefront was beautiful. It is a bit on the expensive side, $40 for a bunk and $10 burger, but what a burger (it's 1 lb of meat). There ends up to be about 12 people here, a newbie southbounder with horrible blisters, some flip-floppers from Waynesboro, Unicoi Zoom and Napster, Momo, and northbounders Willie Boy and son Muggins, Froot Loop, Rook, Candyman, and 2 weekend hikers. At 3 it rained a good bit and we were glad to be indoors. It can rain for 3 days for all I care, as long as it's beautiful and sunny for our Monday summit.
Date: 2012-08-10
From: White House Landing

To: Rainbow Stream Lean-To
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: moderate rain

The rain lasted all night, and they say it could be like this until Monday. Breakfast at the Whitehouse Landing was pretty good - bacon, eggs, english muffin and AYCE pancakes. The tab was pretty hefty overall - $75 for a bunk, small resupply, breakfast, pizza and soda. In addition (this isn't really advertised well), there is a $7.50 fee for using a credit card. As a hiker I'm not used to paying this much for a stay. If I had to do it all again, I would go for lunch and resupply, then get out again without staying. We like beds and all, but I'm not sure it was worth it. Without saying anything terrible about the place, the owners weren't as friendly as at other hostels. They seemed to be overwhelmed and a little burned out, but the property is absolutely beautiful and I'm glad it exists as an "oasis in the wilderness".We spent the day leapfrogging over Willie Boy and his son (visiting to hike through the wilderness and Katahdin), Rook, Froot Loop and Candyman. Rook and Froot Loop moved on (will I ever see them again?), they hope to summit on Sunday the 12th. Willie Boy and Candyman are sheltering tonight with us. We talked about how we feel, what we'll miss about the trail, and what we're excited to get back to. For me, hiking feels the same - I can't quite believe we're right up against Katahdin because we're just doing what we've always done - hike. For Willie Boy (it's his second thru-hike) he's excited because he knows what's to come. We love our candy and ice cream, but we miss home-cooked meals. I know we'll all miss the simplicity of trail life. No one misses television, not a bit, or the overwhelming news feed of "real life". Really, I learned all I really want at the end of the day is to be dry and warm with a full belly and in good company. We live for the sunny, cool, breezy days and we endure uncomfortable times to appreciate the warmth of the sun tomorrow. I can't know everything I'll miss, but I miss these things almost already.
Date: 2012-08-11
From: Rainbow Stream Lean-To

To: Abol Bridge Campground
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Fog and mist stayed with us all day, as we (Candyman, Willie Boy, Muggins and Arrus), hiked from Rainbow Stream to Rainbow Lake and over Rainbow Ledges. Snag and I stopped at Rainbow Lake for a bit to drink from the flowing spring there. We watched family of 7 loons out on the foggy lake. At Rainbow Ledges there was supposed to be a view of Katahdin but it was raining on us at the time. As we came upon Golden Raod and the north end of the Hundred-mile wilderness, some gatorade and oreo trail magic appeared. Thank you trail angels! Arrus (a Lithuanian almost 2x thru-hiker) squeeled with joy as we came upon the road. He greeted Katahdin as we crossed Abol bridge. Fog had enveloped the summit, but we could see the base of it looming over the Penobscot River.There is a small campstore and small grill here at Abol bridge. We got sandwiches, hamburgers and sodas. Candyman got 3 ice cream cones throughout the afternoon - that guy can eat. Rook and Froot Loop were there briefly, but moved on to the Birches tonight, a thru-hiker only shelter at the base of Katahdin. They are summiting tomorrow, so we said our goodbyes. We met some thru-hikers that were moving fast through the wilderness and caught up with us at Abol: Gato, Professor Oak, Lemmiwinks, Squid, Fresh and Austin. Wall Street showed up, too.Tonight we had a fire and talked about our favorite states and lessons learned. It's so difficult to piece everything together and gather up what our favorite moments are. The end is starting to sink in.
Date: 2012-08-12
From: Abol Bridge Campground

To: The Birches
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

Unfortunately, this morning was somewhat of a race to sign up for a spot at the Birches (the shelter for long-distance hikers near Katahdin Stream Campground). There are only 12 spots available for thru-hikers and we know of 12 including us that want a place there, there could be more. It's only 5 miles to Katahdin from there and the best place to start for a summit the next morning. The Ridge Runner made it clear to us that Baxter State Park is not very flexible on the number 12, so any more hikers that show up would not be allowed to stay there (and would have to go into Millinocket instead, I suppose). After registering for a spot early in the AM, it was an easy hike to Katadhin Stream Campground. Snag and I stopped mid-morning at Big Niagara Falls viewpoint for a snack. Walking into camp tonight we couldn't believe we are only 5.3 miles away from Katahdin. It's been cloudy all day again, so we can't see our surroundings. We wonder how Rook, Froot Loop and Dr. Dave are doing on the summit. The forecast was for 70% chance of showers today. It hasn't rained yet, but on the summit it could be a different story. We finally met Dr. Dave's wife, too! She was hanging out at camp waiting for his return from the top.Tomorrow calls for 30% chance of showers and storms in the afternoon. Wall St. showed up to register at the ranger station. I am officially thru-hiker #170, Snag is #171 to summit so far this year.The Birches are full tonight with the group of 6 northbounders we just met yesterday at Abol Bridge, plus me, Snag, Candyman, Willie Boy, Muggins and Wall St. The most bizarre thing happened tonight, too. I discovered a Saw-whet Owl that was trapped in the "vault" of the privy. That's right, he was underneath the toilet of the privy, down in the muck. We alerted the rangers who had an interesting time getting him out of there. We hope the little guy is ok.We had one last fire tonight, and Wall Street's dad brought some drinks and cookies.
Date: 2012-08-13
From: The Birches

To: Katahdin
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Today is the day! I woke up many times during the night, and at 4:30 I couldn't take it anymore. Eric and I both had dreams about our hike up to Katahdin. We tried not to make too much noise so early, there were 12 tents at the Birches, all in close quarters. It's funny, but no one stayed in the 2 lean-tos that were provided for us. We all tented. Snag and I signed our names in at the trailhead to Baxter Peak at 6:10AM after dumping most of our things from our packs at the ranger station(sleeping pad, bag and most clothes and stove). We would make the 5.1 mile ascent and then be back this afternoon to collect everything. I was anxious as we were off. The mountain started off like any other, it wasn't anything difficult until about 2 miles in. The rocks got bigger and more numerous until we hit the tree line. A 20-foot rock wall stood before us and white blazes up the face. On the AT there isn't rock climbing quite to the degree that is going up to Baxter Peak. Others come close, but it seemed more intense and there was more of it. In a couple of places vertigo kicked in because of the dramatic views, and the steep slopes on the sides as you haul yourself up on the rocks. Some climbs I was concerned about how I would get down on our return, but we'd have to figure that out later. It was hard, but absolutely nothing we couldn't do in 3 hours because of our excitement.The morning fog was slowly burning off, but clouds continued to move in and out through the morning. Gato hiked ahead of us and was the first to the top. He had a few minutes with the sign before Snag and I showed up. The sign. There it was. We all went up to it and touched it, we were finally here. One by one, hikers made it to the peak. Wall Street was the last to make it, he was the only one that carried his full pack up the entire way. We all congratulated each other and made a ruckus in front of all of the day hikers that were showing up. The views form the peak were beautiful and we all took time to soak it in. It's hard to believe that this is it. Eric was saying last night that perhaps the reason why finishing the trail can be underwhelming or a bit of a let down is that you realize it wasn't about getting to the sign after all. It was about everything in between. It made so much sense to me after getting up there and on the way down. Wall street's dad gave us a ride into Millenocket. At the AT Cafe we signed a ceiling tile that they dedicate to thru-hikers for that year. We ate some food and then got ice cream to celebrate, realizing we have no reason to go overboard anymore - we can't burn it off! It feels good to be in town, among other hikers for a last night.