morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-09-28
From: Logan Brook Lean-to

To: Cooper Pond, ME
Miles today: 16.7

The mice were brutal in the shelter last night. They were into Nona¢s food bag all night. Her first bag didn¢t offer much protection, but even after she changed it they kept going after her food. They must have gotten a taste of something good! Fortunately, they stayed away from everyone else¢s food.We started hiking in light showers with our rain gear on, but after a while it just got too hot. We still can¢t believe that at this time of year, we¢re hiking in shorts and t-shirts in Maine and it's so warm we're willing to just get wet.The hiking was fairly easy with only 2 small climbs. We pushed to get in almost 17 miles because we wanted to get to White House Landing by lunch tomorrow. I bonked with about 2 miles to go. Even after 6 months, I can¢t get use to eating enough! Bonnie hiked strong right to the end.We ended the day at a campsite at Cooper Pond. It was incredibly beautiful, but it really cooled down by the end of the day.
Date: 2007-09-29
From: Cooper Pond, ME

To: White House Landing, ME
Miles today: 8.8

The sun coming up over Cooper Pond was unbelievably beautiful in the morning. The mountains formed the back of the lake and it was just breath-taking. It made us want the hike to never end. Then we put on our packs, felt the pains in our joints and started thinking, ¢End now, end now!¢We had an easy hike to Pemadumcook Lake and got our first good view of Katahdin. It is one awesome looking mountain!A little further around the lake is a place where you blow an air horn and the owner of White House Landing Camp comes to get you in a motor boat. The camp is beautiful and it breaks up the 100 Mile Wilderness with a place to re-supply. We met up with Peach there and had a great lunch and relaxing afternoon. Our private cabin looked over the lake which is huge. The camp has no electricity, so almost everything is gas powered. We all had quite the experience doing our laundry with an old fashioned wringer (watch those buttons!).Edge showed up at the camp just before dark.
Date: 2007-09-30
From: White House Landing, ME

To: Rainbow Stream Lean-to, ME
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: few clouds

Because Bill, the owner of White House Landing, had to boat off to help his father who was having boat problems, we had no ride back across the lake to the trail in the morning! His wife, who was so nice, offered to let us use two canoes and leave them across the lake. We were more than willing, so Bonnie and I and Peach and Edge had a beautiful canoe trip across the lake.We had to book all day because of the late start and the 15.8 miles to get to the next shelter. Bonnie, who flies on the flats, set the pace for the four of us most of the day. Fortunately the terrain was easy and we were full of food from the camp. We would never have eaten cold pizza before this hike, but the leftover pepperoni pizza from White House Landing tasted great for lunch. We caught another couple of great views of Katahdin. We got to camp just before dark, ate, and collapsed into bed.
Date: 2007-10-01
From: Rainbow Stream Lean-to, ME

To: Abol Pines Camping Area
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Happy October!We had a cool evening, but we¢ll take it for October in Maine. The hiking was very easy today, and with an early start, we finished the 15 miles and got to camp by 3:15 p.m. The only climb of the day was up to the Rainbow Ledges (1,520 ft.), where the view of Katahdin was great.We stayed at Abol Pines Camping Area on the Penobscot River, which is across from a camp store where we re-supplied. Partly through the hike today, we met up with a friend of Peach and Edge named Don who has been doing various sections with them. He drove up from NH and brought quite the spread of food for all of us. We had skewers of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil for an appetizer, followed by wine, beer, apple crisp and more! What a treat! We also had quite the hot dog roast over the fire. We owe a special thanks to Don and his wife!
Date: 2007-10-02
From: Abol Pines Camping Area

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: overcast clouds

For the first time since Virginia, we heard coyotes howling last night! It was sort of a comforting feeling after not hearing them for so long.Don started us with a great breakfast of eggs and apple coffee cake. After that, we headed out with Peach and Edge for the final 10 miles to the base of Katahdin where we spent the night. Don drove his truck to the Katahdin Stream Campground had hiked south to meet us and join us for the final miles. Shortly after camp, we saw a beautiful bald eagle fly down the Penobscot River ¢ what a sight!The trail followed the river and a stream for most of the day. Big Niagara Falls and Little Niagara Falls, where we had lunch, were beautiful.We got to Katahdin Stream Campground and signed in at the Ranger Station where we were thru hikers¢ number 341 and 342 for the year finishing at Katahdin. Numbers are down for hikers this year ¢ normally they would have been close to 500 by now. We heard that the number of visitors at National Parks is down for the year is down as well. People don¢t know what they¢re missing!
Date: 2007-10-03
To: Baxter Peak, Mt. Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: overcast clouds

We completed the Appalachian Trail!!!!!What an awesome feeling! Don was up at 5 a.m. making us pancakes and they were the perfect way to start to our final day on the trail. We headed out at 7:40 a.m. with Don, Peach and Edge for the final 5.2 miles and 4,177 feet. The first 2 miles started with a gradual climb that slowly got steeper. It ran along a stream and the couple of falls we passed were beautiful.The next 2 miles was where the steep rock climbing began. It was some of the toughest climbing on the trail, and wound up and over some steep rough granite rocks. There were several sections of hand over hand crawling.The last mile is a more gradual rocky ridge walk up to Baxter Peak. We arrived at the peak, which was heavily fogged in, at 11:20 a.m.   The wind was howling and it was cold! We screamed our ¢woo hoos,¢ kissed the Katahdin sign and quickly got all of our pictures taken! It¢s a strange feeling at the peak, since although you¢re at the end of the trail, you still have the 5 mile hike back down!As we started the descent, the fog cleared and we got some awesome views. It¢s above tree-line and Baxter and the other peaks are beautiful. We had one layer of clouds below us and one above. The descent was scarier than the climb since we could now see how steep the edges of the trail were. Most of us got at least a couple of scrapes on the rough rocks on the way down.Bonnie¢s dad, Cathy and Guy met us at the bottom with a bottle of champagne and the celebrating began!So that ends our trip! This was by far the most exciting adventure of our lives and we owe so much to the people that helped us. One of the biggest reasons we were able to finish was because of the support we got from family and friends. We owe a real thanks to family and friends that picked us up at the trail, sent us a care package, put us up for a night or two (or 10!), took us out for a meal, cooked a meal for us, took care of our pets (Terry YOU ARE a saint), or just sent us some encouraging words. Doing the trail in one season is very difficult, but it makes it so much easier when know you have so much support back home. We owe a real special thanks to Becky (you rock!), who had packages with ¢trail critical¢ contents waiting for us at every mail stop. And finally, we are so thankful to Bill, who was our primary support for this hike. We are so appreciative of the countless things you did to keep our lives together on and off the trail!Finally, if you were to ask us the biggest thing we learned from hiking the A.T., it is how incredibly kind people are. Every time we needed help from a stranger, whether it was a ride, help with laundry, or whatever, people were always willing to do it for us. After a while, it almost felt like they were being sent to us!And finally, GO OUT AND DO YOUR OWN ADVENTRES! We¢d love to read about them.
Date: 2006-08-28
To: Punctual Butterfly
Miles today: 0.0

Growing up, I was always taught that being on time for something was really getting there fifteen minutes early. I¢ve always been on time. But, lately, it¢s like there¢s this force that repels me from leaving for work any earlier than ten minutes late - you know, the way two magnets of the same pole repel each other so that even with your own strength, it¢s just not possible to overcome?So something¢s got to be special if I can get out of the house early (late if you¢re going by what I grew up with but really on time)¢¦With ten minutes to spare before being late (my new on time), I head to the local post office to claim my package. I feel like Charlie with the Golden Ticket. Please show me what I¢ve won.So, the postmaster pulls out this amazingly-shaped box (picture a 3-D triangle about three feet in length) and she trades it for my Golden Ticket. I head back to my car while pondering how this whole hiking endeavor is slowly going to turn trips to the post office into mini visits to the chocolate factory.Back in my car, I slash the box open and pull out my new backpack ¢ a Gossamer Gear Mariposa Plus! It¢s so light, so big, so blue! But that¢s all I have time for -- I¢m going to be late (on time, if in keeping with my recent trend) for work! On a different route than I usually take, I stop and praise the light for turning red so I have a moment to relish my new treasure. Ahha! There¢s the hydration sleeve! And that¢s where I can put my sleeping pad¢¦. HONK beep HONK beep HONK!   Argh¢¦and there¢s the green arrow. Sheesh, guy, take it easy.   I wait all day just knowing that my new backpack is three blocks away on the third floor of a parking structure in my backseat. I get out of work early (late in the general 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. sense) and it¢s pouring.   On my way home, I stuff the pack back into the thrilling box so it doesn¢t get drenched on the way into my apartment. Looking at it later, I decide this is the one. It¢s a bit long so I¢ll have to exchange it for a shorter version but, it¢s the one. I like that it¢s roomy. I like that it has a special place for my hydration bladder. I like that ¢mariposa¢ in Spanish means ¢butterfly¢. I like that it has mesh netting on the outside where I can put all of the items I¢ll need frequently. I like that I can hold it with my pinky. I¢m glad to have made this decision early. It¢s later than I would have preferred but, really, it¢s right on time.
Date: 2006-09-26
To: Sixteen Ounces in One Pound
Miles today: 0.0

So I have really been trying to get most of my gear together in the past few weeks. I¢d like to have most of it together soon so I can spend the fall making sure everything works.I have two of the same tent right now. Thankfully, one was $100 cheaper than the other (which I¢ll return this weekend). I sent my pack back and will wait for Gossamer Gear to produce their new line of the Mariposa Plus in the smaller size that I need.I got overexcited when I found trekking poles for $65 on the internet. Just before I hit ¢submit¢ on the order, I noticed that the photo on the site only showed one pole so I sent an email to their customer service department to clarify. But, I¢m sort of an impatient person so I only waited about ten minutes before I decided that the price HAD to be for two poles because who would sell just one pole? This is how the rest went:Hi there. Here is the answer to the question you asked us. We hope this is the information that you require:Hi Nicole, All poles are sold on their own. The price is per pole. Regards,Jonathan Thank you, Jonathan. Seems I was a bit impatient and ordered before your reply -- under the assumption that the price was for both poles. Is there any way I can cancel my order? My Order ID is 10151. Thanks for your help. NicoleHi Nicole, It would seem that we have been too efficient over here and your order has already been processed and dispatched. We fully understand if you would wish to return the pole for a refund. It will probably be around a week or so before you receive the pole so that will give you some time to consider your options. Apologies for being too efficient. Regards ,AdrianSo, I sent the pole back to England where it came from. (I mean, really, cheaper gear from England? Probably not.)I got my first order from Campmor yesterday and with it came my fleece jacket, hat (note in my gear list that it¢s the softest thing I have ever felt), a liner for my yet-to-be-purchased sleeping bag, a pocketknife and a pack towel. This weekend, I will pick up an order from the REI outlet and I¢ll add my down jacket and a shirt to my list.It¢s all coming together quite well and I feel like a kid in a toy store. There¢s one little thing I¢m worried about though ¢ my Excel spreadsheet is telling me that my pack currently weighs 34 pounds. Now, I have almost everything figured into that number but it¢s a little too high for my liking. So, coming soon¢¦what gets the boot?
Date: 2006-09-28
To: Katahdin of My Dreams
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We were pulling up to Kathadin in some sort of minivan and my feet felt great -that part I remember. But I wiggled my toes a little just to double check. They were a little sore, but not in the way I¢d expect after six months of walking. I had finally made it and I was all in one piece. The mountain did not look the way I¢d seen it in so many photos before. It resembled something from the West. It was so much more mysterious with its ginger dirt and countless buttes. I pulled out a postcard I¢d been carrying with a photo of the mountain on the front. Yep, this is what it¢s supposed to look like. The ranger smiled when he told us it was a ¢negative zero¢ class day for our hike. I remember thinking to myself, ¢negative zero¢? But he mentioned it was pretty windy and wanted to know if we were still going to summit with all of the wind. Of course we were. Soon, a group of us were gathered on a ledge watching an instructional video or a movie of some sort. Sadly, I don¢t remember what anyone looked like or their names, but I know that Eric was there with me. Folks were eating and chatting but all I wanted to do was climb that mountain. The next thing I remember, we strapped on our packs and started walking. Again with the walking. And that¢s when I realized I really had to stop hitting the snooze button or I was going to be late for work. I had been snoozing for an hour. I just wanted to see what would happen. I wanted to see if I would make it up that mountain. I hope I made it up that mountain. Not a bad first dream about the trail, is it?
Date: 2006-10-05
To: Incase You Were Wondering...
Miles today: 0.0

Taken directly from one of those email surveys, here are a few basic truths about me. I thought you might want to know. WHAT COLOR PANTS ARE YOU WEARING?Grey. Cotton pajama pants. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Clarence Bucaro: Light in Your EyesWHAT'S THE LAST THING YOU ATE?Cottage cheese.DO YOU WISH ON STARS?Yes, 100.3 Pillow Talk taught me well.IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?Green. HOW IS THE WEATHER RIGHT NOW? Beauty-full. 48 degrees and cloudy.LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My dad HOW ARE YOU TODAY?Van-der-full.FAVORITE NON ALCOHOLIC DRINK?Green or white tea.FAVORITE ALCOHOLIC DRINK?Wheat beer.HAIR COLOR? Dark brown.EYE COLOR? Dark brown.DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Since eighth grade.SIBLINGS? Yes, Stephanie Ann. FAVORITE MONTH? I can't choose. They all have spectacular things to offer.FAVORITE FOOD? So hard. I think anything my grandma makes (either of them). LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? "A River Runs Through It"FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR? Christmas. I like seeing everyone and hopefully the snow. WHAT DO YOU DO TO VENT ANGER? Write or yell.WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD? My teddy bear, Teddy.SUMMER OR WINTER? A little of both, Michigan suits me well. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs.CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? Chocolate, hands down.LIVING ARRANGEMENTS?One bedroom apartment. It's approximately 30 years old. I share this building with 11 other apartments full of every creature you can name. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? I tried to tell some stories about my dad to a couple of friends the other night and I was laughing so hard that I started to cry. WHAT IS UNDER YOUR BED? Nothing, I hope. WHO IS THE FRIEND YOU HAVE HAD THE LONGEST? Tiffany. Sixth grade science camp. Oh, that fateful canoeing trip.WHAT DID YOU DO LAST NIGHT? Made dinner, talked to Chris about how he saved a life last weekend, researched the SteriPEN and read about the Appalachian Trail. FAVORITE SMELLS? The smell of winter and of summer; the smell of a campfire.WHAT INSPIRES YOU? Friends, family and the outdoors.WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? Missing the boat.FAVORITE CAR? A small American-made, fuel efficient and reliable one.FAVORITE FLOWER? Peony.HOW MANY KEYS ON YOUR KEY RING? Five or six maybe. CAN YOU JUGGLE? Oh sure. FAVORITE DAY OF THE WEEK? Saturday. Preferably one that doesn't end. WHAT DID YOU DO ON YOUR LAST BIRTHDAY? Went to work, had dinner with my dad and celebrated with Eric by hiking a section of the North Country Trail and taking a wine tour in the Leelanau Peninsula. WHAT IS YOUR PET PEEVE? Unreliable people.
Date: 2006-10-09
To: 310 Miles an Hour
Miles today: 0.0

On Saturday, I did something that most people I know didn¢t believe was possible. I met up with two other Class of 2007 future thru-hikers, Michele and Ann (Toasty), and talked about the AT for seven hours! We met at Foggy Bottom Coffee House in Dexter, MI, at noon. (For anyone in the area, this place is great ¢ good food and all of the menu items are named after various mountains throughout the world and the menu even notes the elevation of each! I ordered the Foraker ¢ a 17,400¢ mountain in Alaska -- or a wrap full of artichoke, tempeh, bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and onions. Delicious!) We talked for a couple of hours over lunch and shared our stories of how and when we decided we were going to thru-hike the AT, what we do and what we think we¢ll do after the trail. We talked about maps, guidebooks and gear for quite a while and then decided to go to Ann¢s house to talk more.And that¢s just what we did ¢ for five more hours! Upon our arrival, Ann¢s house quickly turned into a backpacker¢s paradise. We filled her living room with gear and sifted through it all comparing weight, usage and practicality. It¢s amazing how carried away future thru-hikers can get when we¢re planning. Later, we went outside and Michele set up her hammock and Ann, her tarp tent. I hadn¢t brought my tent but it was nice to learn about the merits of two other systems. We also set a date for a shakedown hike next month and I¢m really looking forward to it. I just need to buy a couple of pieces of gear that I¢ve been holding out on and then I should be all set! Ann was kind enough to give me a piece of her extra Tyvek to make a footprint and some roofing metal to make a windscreen for my stove.   Michele was kind enough to give me some extra insulation and a pot stand for my stove, a freezer bag cozy to try out and two AT DVDs to borrow! I actually went home that night feeling like a mooch because I had nothing to share. It was good to see different kinds of gear and it was great to finally meet Ann and Michele in person. Hopefully we¢ll run into each other on the trail next year!
Date: 2006-10-23
To: Acres, Not Medicine
Miles today: 0.0

When you begin reading the original proposal to build the Appalachian Trail, it¢s easy to mistake it as a modern essay on working life in America and the need for rest from time to time. In reality, Benton MacKaye published this proposal 85 years ago. He said we needed it. We needed it to escape the pressures of high prices, unemployment and war. We needed it to make the most of the ¢leisure¢ time that most of us can only find for two weeks out of a year. We needed it to avoid becoming ¢helpless canaries in a cage¢. We needed it to turn oxygen to optimism. It¢s amazing how much of the essay is accurate still today. Eighty-five years later, we are still fighting wars, high prices and unemployment. Eighty-five years later, we are still scraping together our leisure time here and there hoping to bind it all together into something long enough to enjoy. And, eighty-five years later, we still have the potential to turn oxygen to optimism. We need it. And, for a few reasons, I¢ve decided I need it.   I appreciate MacKaye¢s ease of describing the need for this trail ¢ mainly because I haven¢t found it easy to describe why I need it. Acres, not medicine.
Date: 2006-11-27
To: On a Visit Home...
Miles today: 0.0

I got my first offer of money to stay home. I could have $2,000 in my pocket right now if I would just tell my Aunt Ginette that I will not hike the Appalachian Trail next year. My list of hiking companions continues to grow as well. My friend, Matt, has declared he¢s coming to Appalachia with me ¢¦ just to carry the gun. Eric¢s aunt, Cathy, will be quitting her job to accompany me ¢¦ just to make sure I don¢t get eaten. Approximately 14 allusions to ¢Deliverance¢ have been made, including my family threatening to rent it so we could watch it at our Thanksgiving gathering -- and this in an email from my friend, Phil: I was just reading your trail blog. You can add this to your list of conversations even though it didn't really happen.Niki: I'm going to hike the Appalachian Trail. The whole thing.Phil: Traipsing through the mountains like a smelly, furry hippy is as legitimate of a way to spend six months as sitting in front of an office computer slowly dying, drinking stale coffee and breathing recycled air as you rot inside the unholy glow of fluorescent light¢which is what most people in their mid-twenties resign themselves to without a second thought. Niki: Ummm...Phil: Ever see "Deliverance"?Niki: No.Phil: Don't. About one dozen people I know are trying to get me to carry a gun and I¢ve even had offers from two representatives of the United States Armed Forces to give me lessons on how to use it. One of them, Andy, who I went to high school and college with, pulled me into the corner of the smoky establishment we were enjoying to give me a stern lecture about carrying an uzi on my person at all times. I found it peculiar that as Andy lectured me, his back was to a video game in the corner where the player is surrounded by bears and other wild creatures. I don¢t know what the object of the game was but it seemed oddly appropriate that in the corner of my view during said lecture, I would occasionally see bears whizzing by. Now, I¢ve never met anyone that could stand as a match to my dad when it comes to lectures but Andy was shockingly close. Shockingly close. When he has kids, they will have much to dread. He was all business. He crossed his arms and let it rip. He didn¢t get me to tell him what he wanted to hear, but he certainly changed my mind about a couple of things so he should at least feel good about that. I have a feeling I haven¢t heard the last from him. I can¢t wait to see what else comes up in the next 105 days.