morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-09-26
From: Bald Mt. Brook Campsite 

To: Horshoe Canyon Lean-to 
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

9/26/04 Day 29Start: Bald Mountain Brook Campsite @ 7:30. Stop: Horshoe Canyon Lean-to @ 3:00Mileage on trail: 13.0; cum. 318.9. Off trail: 0.2; cum. 11.4Weather: sunny, cool, windyMajor Landmarks: Moxie Bald Mt, West Branch Piscataquis RiverMajor Milestones: 123 miles to K!        The thunderstorm blew its way through during the night and when I got up around midnight, the moon was out. By morning, a cold front had gone through and it looked like a beautiful day.        As we packed up, three day hikers walked by and Doc said a hunter (bear season) had passed through earlier. As we began the climb up Moxie Bald, we passed the three day hikers and they told us we were at 2,000¢ according to their GPS. The last 600¢ in elevation became a little steeper until we reached the rock summit of the bald. There was evidence of a fire on top of the mountain and someone had attached some Buddhist prayer flags to the summit sign. From there, we could see more easily the mountain we think is Katahdin and it is getting closer.        We dropped down to Moxie Bald Lean-to where we met Two Dogs. He had gotten ahead of us by taking the summit by-pass. Pretty soon Sanguin came in also.        The rest of the day looked like a long, easy down to the next lean-to, our objective for the day, but the profile can be very deceiving. There were numerous up-hills and the trail was often muddy or rocky. Blue said it was like a reprise of the trail we had already done, with the sharp ups of NY, the rocks of PA, and the uninteresting parts of VA. Anyway, we eventually arrived at the West Branch of the Piscataquis River which all the literature said was a normally knee-deep ford not to be attempted in high water. Fortunately there hadn¢t been enough rain to create high water conditions, but we did have to put on our sandals and ford it, which we did successfully. We learned later at the shelter that everyone else made it also: Doc in his boots, Matt barefoot, and Sanguin with a slip that sent her into the water.        The last three miles followed the river to the shelter, but again it was not the easy uphill shown on the profile. The trail would take us up on the side of the mountain and then drop us back down to the river, only to repeat this many times. We were glad to finally make it to the lean-to and found One Thing there. He had left early in the morning hoping to make it into Monson but had decided to stop here for the night. Over the next 2-3 hours, everyone else from the last campsite made it in.        Tomorrow it¢s into Monson, just 9 miles. We hope to be there for lunch, but I¢m sure the easy looking profile will throw some curves at us. We do have another ford of the Piscataquis fairly early on.        After Monson, it¢s the 100 mile wilderness to Abol Bridge, then 9 miles to Katahdin Stream Campsite and the final 5 miles up Katahdin. It looks like summit day will be October 6th, weather permitting.
Date: 2004-09-27
From: Horshoe Canyon Lean-to 

To: ME Rte 15, Monson 
Miles today: 9.0

9/27/04 Day 30Start: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to @ 7:00. Stop: ME Rte 15, Monson @ 11:30Mileage on Trail: 9.0; cum. 327.9. Off trail: 0.1; cum. 11.5Weather: sunny, warmMajor Landmarks: East Branch, Piscataquis River, and MonsonMajor Milestones: 114 miles to K!        The full moon shone last night. At one point when I woke up, I thought someone was outside my tent with a headlamp it was so bright. When I got up at 12:30, it was like broad daylight.        I had set my alarm for 6:00 so we could get an early start. It was mighty cold when I got up to retrieve the food bags, so I crawled back into my bag to eat breakfast. We got on the trail at 7:00 as planned and hiked the first 2 miles to the East Branch of the Piscataquis River. One Thing was there on the other side, having already forded it. I found a way across without taking my boots off, then Blue headed across in her sandals. Once she was back into her boots, we headed for Rte. 15, the route into Monson.        One Thing got there ahead of us and left a message that he was walking into Monson. We stayed put and hitched, getting a ride by an older woman in a Mercury Grand Marquis. We passed One Thing on the way into town, but the woman didn¢t stop because there was no room. He did show up a little while later¢Keith at Shaw¢s picked him up.        After getting a room and dropping our packs, we headed for the local deli for some town food¢my old standby cheeseburger and fries. Then Keith drove us to a larger town with a supermarket for some re-supply and, when we got back, it was off to the library to check e-mail. Finally back at Shaw¢s, we got a laundry going and began to sort food for the 100 mile wilderness.        Dinner at Shaw¢s was family style. Tonight there were eight of us and the menu was ham, boiled potatoes, mixed veggies, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, bread and apple crisp. We all left well satisfied. Tomorrow¢s breakfast promises to be another grand repas.Tomorrow we enter the 100 mile wilderness, not to be heard from until we hopefully emerge at the other end in 7 days.
Date: 2004-09-29
From: Long Pond Stream Leanto

To: East Chairback Pond
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Start Long Pond Stream Leanto @ 6:30. Stop: East Chairback Pond @ 6:15Mileage on Trail: 13.6; cum. 356.6. Off trail: 0.2; cum. 13.3Weather: Cool, sunny, then cloudy, then sunny againMajor Landmarks: Barren Chairback Range (Barren Mt, Fourth Mt, Third Mt, Columbus Mt, Chairbank Mt)Major Milestones: >350 miles this section, 85 to goThe clouds blew out during the night and the temperature dropped. When I got up in the night, the moon and stars shone brightly. When it was time to get up, I didn¢t want to get out of my bag. Archiopterix said it was 41 degrees, so I snuggled deeper into my bag. Since I wasn¢t getting up, neither was Blue, but we finally faced the cold and got going.Today¢s challenge was the Barren Chairback Range, a string of five mountains to climb. A couple of SoBo¢s we had met days ago said this section had really kicked their butts, so that was the background with which we began the climb up Barren Mt. The climb up to the ridge was pretty steep, then things got a little easier. When we reached the firetower we took a break. The rest of the day was doing the ups and downs of this range, about 4,000¢ total elevation gain. There were nice views from some of the summits, but we didn¢t take any of the side trails to viewpoints. We get so many views that we get ¢trail jaded¢ when it comes to viewpoints on the trail.On one of the steep rocky downs, Blue lost her balance and tripped, but managed a miraculous recovery, avoiding any injury. She did take a fall later in a pine forest where fortunately there were no rocks. It was a hard fall onto her wrist, but all seems OK.We finally made it to the side trail down to East Chairback Pond as the sun was setting. It¢s a great campsite on the pond, but another night of cooking by headlamp. With the days getting shorter and us further north, cooking by headlamp may become the norm.Tomorrow promises to be another challenging day over several mountains on the way up Whitecap Mt., the highest remaining mountain before Katahdin. After that, the wilderness will become easier. Right!85 miles left in the Big K Kountdown.
Date: 2004-10-01
From: Logan Brook Leanto

To: Jo-Mary Road
Miles today: 15.4

Start: Logan Brook Leanto @ 8:00. Stop: Jo-Mary Road @ 4:30Mileage on Trail: 15.4; cum. 386.4. Off trail: 0.2; cum. 13.7Weather: Cool, sunnyMajor Landmarks: East Branch Pleasant River, Little Boardman Mt.It was another cold September night, but we awoke to a beautiful October day. Once packed up we immediately began to follow a porcupine down the trail, but he soon wandered off into the woods. It was about 4 miles downhill to the East Branch of the Pleasant River and thankfully we were able to rock hop across without having to wade. After a steep climb up from the river and another climb up Little Boardman Mt, it was pretty much a gradual downhill all day. We walked part way around Crawford Pond and then picked up an old tote road that followed Cooper Brook all the way to Jo Mary Road. There were still rocks and roots and quite a few bog logs, but overall it was pretty easy walking.After a stop at Cooper Brook Falls Leanto, we did the last 3.7 miles in about 1 12 hours. About 34 mile before the road we came across a work crew doing maintenance on the trail. We stopped to chat and they gave us each an apple, which tasted great. It turns out they are all from L.L. Bean and maintain this whole section of trail. They asked where we were headed and we told them somewhere near Jo-Mary Road. They said they were camped near the road and invited us to join them, which we did.We arrived at their campsite before they did, so we looked around and got water. When they all got back, we pitched out tents and went to join them in their kitchen tent for dinner. They had water heated and let us use their gas stoves, which was great. After dinner, one of the leaders presented pins to the first time volunteers, along with hugs, and Blue and I each got pins and hugs, too. The highlight was the pumpkin strudel pie with whipped cream for dessert ¢ a real treat in the 100 mile wilderness.During our conversations I mentioned that one of my daughter¢s college friends, Anna Louise, or AL, had worked at Bean¢s and several of them got really excited, because they had worked with AL. Although AL doesn¢t work there anymore, one of the leaders, Jackie, said she would pass on my greeting the next time she sees her. What an unexpected and enjoyable evening in the wilderness.Tomorrow is just 10 miles to White House Landing, burgers and a shower. Just 56 miles left in the Big K Kountdown.
Date: 2004-10-02
From: Jo-Mary Road

To: White House Landing
Miles today: 10.0

Start: Jo-Mary Road @ 4:30. Stop: White House Landing @ 12:30Mileage on Trail: 10.0; cum. 396.4. Off trail: 1.2; cum. 14.9Weather: Cool, sunnyMajor Landmarks: Mud Pond, Lower Jo-Mary Lake, Pemadumcook Lake.My tent was completely wet this morning from condensation, now that we¢re at a lower elevation in moist air. We are in Maine¢s lake country now, and not only do we pass a lot of lakes and ponds, but we get the effects of their moisture.After packing up we went to the L.L. Bean tent to eat breakfast with out friends. They fed us hard boiled eggs as well as providing hot water for tea. I realized later that I left my spoon in their kitchen, so will have to improvise something to eat with.We finally said goodbye to all our friends and headed up the trail. It was pretty flat walking, save for one little climb over Potaywadjo Ridge. We passed Mud Pond and Lower Jo-Mary Lake and finally came to Pemadumcook Lake, where there was a great view of Katchdin. Then after another couple of miles we reached the turnoff that goes to White House Landing, our destination for the day. It was another 1.2 miles down a side trail to their dock and we hustled along to get there in time for lunch. One blast of the air horn at the sock summoned Bill in his motor boat and he brought us across the lake to their camp, a beautiful setting looking up the lake. Bill cooked us each up a 1 lb. Cheeseburger for lunch and then we went about our normal ¢town¢ chores. First we hung out our wet tents on the clothes line and the strong wind quickly dried them. Then to the bunkhouse, where we met Little Tree again. We hadn¢t seen her since Andover.Next a nice hot shower, and then down to the lake to wash clothes. They provide a big wash tub with scrub board. You have to haul water from the lake, wash your clothes in the wash tub, and then put them through an old ringer to get most of the water out. I don¢t know how clean they got, but the wash and rinse water were pretty dirty.Now I¢m relaxing in the bunkhouse, it¢s nice and toasty with a wood fire going. Time to relax, rest the legs and think about the remaining four days, as well as all those days that have led to here. Clouds are coming in, it¢s supposed to rain tonight, and we¢ll all be nice and dry.Just 46 miles left in the Big K Kountdown
Date: 2004-10-04
From: Rainbow Stream Leanto

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

Start: Rainbow Stream Leanto @ 7:45. Stop: Abol Pines Campground @ 3:45Mileage on Trail: 15.0; cum. 427.3. Off trail: 0.0; cum. 16.1Weather: Cool, sunnyMajor Landmarks: Rainbow Lake, Rainbow Ledges, Abol Bridge.Another cool night, but it was dry, so the tent wasn¢t all covered in dew. It¢s always nice not to have that extra weight. Blue and I left before Little Tree and reached Rainbow Lake within an hour. It was 5 miles along the lake shore, a relatively easy walk. Then an easy climb up Rainbow Ledges where there was another nice view of Katahdin getting ever closer. Our last stop was Hurd Leanto, the last shelter on the AT. We took a long break and read many of the register entries where hikers expressed their feelings about their hikes. Then we each tried to write something appropriate.The last 3 12 miles to the road, the first one in 17.5 miles, was also easy, and we stopped for the obligatory picture of Katahdin from Abol Bridge over the Penobscott. Then to the store for hot dogs, soda and candy ¢ we¢re no longer in the wilderness! We met T-Bird, who was dog sitting for Alabama as he summitted. She had through hiked last year and is doing an anniversary hike through the wilderness with her dad. They had just picked up a food cache they had hidden, and since they had too much food, she was handing out M&Ms and also gave me a big bag of dried fruit gorp. Pretty soon Swix and Squatter came in. They had been hiking with Statler & Waldorf, a guy Blue had met earlier on the trail and had kept in touch with via cell phone. Hopefully he¢ll be able to summit with us on Wednesday.At about 4:30 I called Laurel on the public cell phone (33 cents/min, no phone cards) to make last minute arrangements. She and her friend Kristian will be driving over tomorrow and staying at Katahdin Stream Campground, which is adjacent to the Birches where the through hikers stay. In addition, my son Eric and friend Keith will be driving to Millinocett and meet us at the Ranger Station Wednesday morning for the summit hike. It will really be great to have them all here, both to hike Katahdin and join in the celebration afterward.Tomorrow should be an easy 10 mile hike to Katahdin Stream Campground where there should be plenty of time to rest up in the afternoon for summit day.Just 15 miles and 2 days left in the Big K Kountdown
Date: 2004-10-10
To: Conclusion
Miles today: 0.0

What can you say after 2174.1 miles over four years? This has been an incredible journey. I¢ve seen some of the most beautiful parts of our country. I¢ve met wonderful people on the trail and off the trail. I¢ve learned a lot about myself and about human nature. I¢ve found that I can easily live with a minimum of material things and that I loathe the consumerism of our society. Yet my faith in human nature and the goodness of all people has been strongly reinforced.My memories of this trip will live on throughout my life. I¢ll remember many of the wonderful people I¢ve met along the way. The woman who was driving the other way as I was hitchhiking and turned around to pick me up and take me wherever I wanted to go. The man who picked me up in Boiling Springs and then took me to his campground and let me spend the night in his camper. The motel owner in Pearisburg who took me to the hospital and then gave me a break in the room rent as I convalesced there for a week. The many hostel owners who put me up, did my laundry, drove me where I needed to go and made my stay enjoyable. And of course the many hikers I have met over these past years who have greatly enriched the experience for me and who remain good friends today. How can you thank all of those who have helped you along the way or who without their knowledge have made your hike easier. So many times another hiker has done something, just a word of encouragement or a simple chore, that has made my life easier, that has made the experience fuller. To all of these wonderful people I give my sincere thanks.Finally, there are all those left behind who have supported me, prayed for me, sent me messages of encouragement, or just followed my journey with interest. Each of them has played a significant role in making my journey a success and enhancing the joy with which I was able to make it. All of these people can never really understand what a journey like this is really like, nor can they realize the extent to which they have contributed to it. But they have all been an important part of it and I have felt their presence along the way.The trail invites all who would venture into the unknown in search of knowledge, understanding, peace and enjoyment. It will live well beyond us all and will continue to draw into its web the curious, the searching, the lost, the ambitious, and the many common folks who seek a simply life and the experience of a lifetime. Happy trails to all those who have completed their journey on the AT and to all those who will be fortunate to experience it during their lifetimes.
Date: 2004-09-23
To: a recent conversatoin
Miles today: 0.0

a recent conversation that i had with my employer and good friend, jim, went something like this:¢so, jim, let¢s have a chat sometime when you get a chance.¢¢sure man, do you want to do it over a plate of pancakes or something?¢¢well, do you have time right now?¢jim walks over to where i am at the job site.i say, ¢so, i¢m thinking that it¢s about time i went for a hike.¢¢oh yeah?¢¢yeah.¢¢when are you thinking you might head out?¢¢well, with where i want to go, i¢ve got a window that will be closing in a little less than a month, so i¢m thinking i¢ll start hiking sometime during the first week of october.¢¢okay. so, i guess you¢ll leave here in a couple of weeks, then?¢¢yeah, that sounds about right. i¢d say my last day here will be in two weeks and i¢ll head out sometime the following week.¢¢that sounds great. i¢m actually surprised you¢ve stuck around this long.¢¢really?¢¢yeah. i thought you¢d be here a week and then decide it was time to leave.¢¢interesting.¢end of conversation.i¢m pretty sure this actually is the longest i¢ve held a job in four years. i went to work for jim in march and it is now almost october. that has to be some sort of record for me. the funny thing is- this is the fourth time i¢ve worked for jim in the last seven years. A) i can¢t believe i keep going back there. 2) i can¢t believe he keeps taking me back. C) i don¢t think there is a C.yep.it is that time of year again. the leaves are going to start changing soon. the nights will begin to get cooler. the days will become shorter. the thru-hikers will finish up their thru-hikes.and, i¢ll hit the trail.october.i can¢t think of a better time to start hiking. to be out in the woods, breathing in the crisp mountain air. putting the miles under my feet and the mountains behind me. soaking up the views and gazing in wonder at the patchwork quilt that is the peak of autumn colors.october.yes.
Date: 2004-10-02
To: where to go
Miles today: 0.0

sometime during the summer (or maybe it was even still spring back then), i began thinking of having an adventure. adventures are fun. adventures are my friends.i began brainstorming and coming up with all sorts of ideas as to where this next adventure might take me. i wondered about maybe doing some of the pct (i even bought the pct handbook in case i wanted to start planning). i tossed around the idea of selling my truck and buying a one way ticket to europe. i thought about making my way up to alaska to visit my good friend, the iceman. i considered just throwing everything in my truck and hitting the open road, exploring this great country that i live in. all of these options i mulled over for quite some time. for a good part of the summer, i¢d say.as the summer wore on, my thoughts turned to a place that i already knew. a place that i¢d already been. i pushed that idea to the back of my head. i wanted something knew. something unknown. somewhere i hadn¢t been. and yet, this place kept making its way forward. it wouldn¢t let me forget it. get to the back i¢d say. a few times it would listen, but it was never long before i¢d see it peeking around a corner.fine.you¢re right.i know, i know. i agree completely.come on up to the front of the line.i decided to let this idea hang out with the rest of them. pct, europe, alaska, and the open road all accepted the idea. i knew they didn¢t like it, but they accepted it. i think they knew that they¢d lose out to it in the end. and, they did.maine won the prize. maine in october won by a landslide. i never stood a chance against it. i came to realize that i thoroughly enjoyed my time in maine last year. maine was amazing. it was beautiful. it was rugged. it was incredible. i like maine. after all, it is vacationland. i know because it says so on the ¢welcome to maine¢ sign at the border.so, yeah, the pct looked like it required too much planning. europe was out because i¢m not a big fan of flying. alaska will have to wait until another day. the open road will be there for next time.i¢m returning to maine. i know i¢ve been there before. but, that can be a good thing. i know what¢s up there. i know what to expect. i know there are fantastic photographs waiting to be taken.that is what this adventure will primarily be about- photography. sometimes i like to pretend that i¢m a photographer, so i¢m going to photograph things on this hike.maine will be good. in four days i will board a train for maine. trains are fun. trains are my friends.
Date: 2004-10-10
From: rainbow stream lean-to

To: wadleigh stream lean-to
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: overcast clouds

"bad blisters"the problem with finding some great northbounders to talk to is i¢m going to do just that for as long as i can. so, if they hang around the shelter until after 10:00, then i¢m going to hang around the shelter until after 10:00. my three new friends left, and shane and i finally started hiking around 10:45. his knee was feeling a little better this morning so we decided to hike together for a while.we came to a logging road and crossed over pollywog stream on a bridge where we found a stack of apples and oranges. fresh fruit is always such a nice treat on the trail.shane and my pace don¢t really match up. he is either ahead of me or behind. but, we met up a couple of times during the day. he was sitting at a great view on the side of nesuntabunt mountain. we both sat there for a long time and looked back at the land that we¢d just come across.for some reason these boots that have over 1500 miles on them have decided that they want to give me really bad blisters. so bad that i ended up cutting my hiking day short. about ten miles short of my original goal. and, still 5.8 miles short of my first revised goal. and, still 2.6 miles short of the second new and improved revised goal.yep. i¢m pretty much struggling here. i popped my blisters and let the juice run and i¢ll repeat the process in the morning and tape them up good for tomorrow. there is no one else at this shelter tonight.