morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-07-18
From: Pleasant Street Trailhead (Mile 117.8)

To: Bald Mtn Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Shaw's was a great stay and a great place to zero. There were plenty of NOBOs around to give whatever advice was asked, and a great atmosphere. Among those I remember, I hung out with Bearscare, Traveller, and Stringbean, who for some reason doesn't like his trail name. There's no need to accept it, and plenty of time to get a new one.After a semi-vegan breakfast, Poet drove me out the 1.7 miles to the trailhead at Pleasant St. Like he said on the ride out, he and Hippy Chick are living their dream.With the trail forecast to be easy until Bigelow Preserve, I decided to try to push to Caratunk in two days. This meant getting over Moxie Bald on the first day to spare myself two climbs the next.Despite warnings about following the cairns, I spent a bit longer on the bald than I intended, and finally consulted the Guthook app. It just turned out that I needed to follow the cairns, but the pile on the summit that holds up the MATC sign isn't a cairn.The trail is easy. Big steps are still hard but my complaints now are with feet, not legs. My trail legs are developing nicely. I must have some cartilage left from the Smokies.Over the course of the day, following upon conversations I'd had with people at Shaw's, I mulled over my reasons for hiking the trail and possible reasons for getting off. At this point, I think that if I were to leave the trail, it would be for the right reasons--it may be someone's dream, but it's not really mine. The work I've done or need to do doesn't require me to literalize an internal journey into an external one. I'm not expecting any profound insights, just a great adventure. I thought about the comforts of car camping. Not to worry, though, at this point I'm all-in until Springer. Like I write in the registers, "Zen is just walking."While mulling too hard, and Zenning too little, I slipped on a wet rock and fell. I had to stop and Neosporin a thumbnail that bent backwards and scraped a bunch of tetanus and liver fluke eggs off of the next rock and right into my bloodstream. Infection or injury would be a terrible reason to stop. That was my third fall on the trail.When I got to the campsite I was all business: tent, eat, sleep. I tossed and turned most of the night and ended up putting on all of my clothes to stay warm. That's part of the joy of ultralight hiking, except the non-clothing items in my pack weigh too much to qualify. I packed out 24.7 pounds total, 18.3 without food but with other consumables. (It turned out to be way too much food.) I gained 37 grams by replacing those flimsy dollar-store flipflops with a new pair of Crocs. The rest of the weight must be accumulated dirt and duff, plus "necessities".
Date: 2018-07-19
From: Bald Mtn Brook Lean-to

To: Maine Hwy 201, Caratunk
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: light rain

Getting moving today was a chore. Despite the easy trail, and cushy Altra Olympus 2.5's, a tenderfoot like me can feel 19 miles.I slowly broke camp and left at around 9. The hike was easy but not particularly scenic, and I didn't take any photos worth sharing.At some point I caught up with Road Runner, who had teleported himself ahead of my location, probably while I was still sleeping. He got to The Sterling Inn a couple of hours after me, but told me he spent a couple of hours hanging out at a pond and taking his time. He's a fast hiker.At this point I was unclear whether or not I would zero so soon, but my feet, and residual hunger from undereating the last 2 days, decided that for me.So far, my trip statistics are as follows, with OTA meaning "On-Trail Average", i.e. miles per day discounting zeros.Days: 16Zeros: 3 (18.8% of days)MPD: 9.5OTA: 11.6ETA: 215 daysBy my reckoning, it won't be clear that I'll make it in a reasonable time until I'm somewhere in Vermont. The Presidentials are going to be 10 mile days.
Date: 2018-07-20
From: The Sterling Inn

To: The Sterling Inn
Miles today: 0.0

Yesterday I took the road walk from the trailhead, through the hamlet of Caratunk, to the Sterling Inn. On the way over I saw Bearscare resupplying at the Caratunk B&B before moving on to Stratton. I chose not to stay there because I thought the store at the Sterling might be better. The walk is easy because it allows you to avoid most of that stretch of Highway 201.I'm very happy with my choice. The Sterling is clean and well run by a father-son team, Eric and Zach. The rooms and bunks are nice, reasonably priced, and the common areas are fantastic. There's a non-vegan couch and a huge DVD selection. I briefly considered deodorant.Eric told me that the Inn used to be a stopover on a stagecoach line that ran between Bingham and The Forks. What now takes an hour used to take 3 days, and the place had to be self-sufficient because of the lack of supplies.All I've been doing today is eating. I have to recommend those Good To Go meals since I've eaten six during my stay. The Smoked Three Bean Chili and the Quinoa Whatever are vegan and have 18 and 13 grams of protein, respectively.The store here is small but well thought out. For me, there are beans, Clif Bars, and dried fruit, but there are things for meat eaters too. Unfortunately there's no frozen veg*n food apart from a cheese pizza, so later I'm going to go to a restaurant. I'm short of true "hiker hunger" but there's hunger, and there's a place in town with veggie burgers and stir-fried Brussels sprouts. I'm going to get two of those.The store also has gas canisters (in two sizes, along with their tiny stoves), Frogg Toggs and other gear, and first aid / personal care items.My laundry is done but as for myself, it's pointless to scrub too hard--I'm leaving tomorrow and walking into a wall of rain starting Sunday.----------After taking a full bath in the antique tub--and scrubbing my feet--I ran into NOBO LASHer Trail Dog and invited him to come out with me to The Boatman restaurant at Three Rivers (where the Brussels sprouts are). Trail Dog is retired and is about to finish his last section. Not only did I enjoy the sprouts (just one--they're ten bucks), a gigantic salad, and a veggie burger, but also an excellent conversation, for which I'm very grateful. I hope Trail Dog enjoys the Wilderness and Katahdin and everything goes well on his last section hike.Now it's time to pack and get some sleep before crossing the Kennebec.
Date: 2018-07-24
From: Maine Hwy 201, Caratunk

To: Stratton at ME Hwy 27
Miles today: 37.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I left Caratunk shortly after 9 in the morning, when the Kennebec ferry would be running. I don't see why anyone would want to ford, the water isn't shallow even when the dam is closed.It was easy hiking to West Carry Pond lean-to. On my way back from a blue blaze to a waterfall, I ran into Babe, whom I had met on the dock waiting for the White House Landing boat. I think she's continually amazed I continue to manage hauling myself down the trail.At WCP, no less than two people showed up to give trail magic. A gentleman whose wife worked at Lindor donated a big bag of Lindor Truffles. An older landowner from across the pond came to deliver PB&J sandwiches, some kind of other local sandwich desert with 1000 calories, fresh apples, and bubble gum. He talked to us about it for a while. Very nice guys.After they left, I met Jaybird, who's from Chicago. He encouraged me to stick to the original 19.1 mile plan I had for the first night. I thought it might be better to get moving after sleeping at a shelter, and enjoying our last night of good weather, but then we would have surely had to go over Bigelow in rain and possibly lightning. Jaybird was sure the rain wasn't starting until the afternoon. We could summit by 2PM.We hiked on to the tent sites at East Flagstaff Lake and camped at dusk, awkwardly among some NOBO tents. By this time I was too tired to be hungry so I went to sleep.The next morning, the rain was still an abstraction. In fact, we didn't run into any problems until the afternoon, though we could see it building. The ascent was harder than we thought. We crossed Bigelow, above treeline, in the blowing rain, at a snail's pace that I was happy to maintain.At the end of a 13.5 mile day that started at 5:30AM, we were happy as hell to see the Horns Pond leant-os, at around 4PM, and ended up overnighting in the day-use lean-to. Jaybird treated me to some hot water, which I used to make tea.After our ordeal, we decided it was wise to go into Stratton. After much discussion, Babe decided on Hostel of Maine, with its concentration-camp like atmosphere and nonvegan seating, while Jaybird and I slummed it at the Stratton Motel and Hostel, where I'm writing this now. There's easy access to the produce I've been lusting after, and good company at the motel. Bearscare is here and I've met Danish and Catch Up. Catch Up is SOBO but is really on top of her game, one of the most efficient hikers I've ever seen. She made her own camp slippers from inserts, duct tape, and foam.I've decided I'm going to have some critical gear shipped here: a pair of Salamon XA Pro 3Ds, a bag liner, a stove, and some tea. Those are all going to be handy in the Whites. I'm going to gain 2 pounds.
Date: 2018-07-25
From: Stratton at ME Hwy 27

To: Nowhere
Miles today: 0.0

Today, after UPS came and I had put on my Salamons to break in, I bought a gas canister and cooked up some pu'erh tea from thousand-year old tea trees. The tea was earthy of course but quite mellow for pu'erh, at least to my taste. I got some Darjeeling, too. Eight ounces of each. I treated Trout, who runs the hostel, and a woman from Australia named Ziploc. Catch Up and I had talked about tea a lot, too bad she, Danish, and Bearscare all left this morning.Last night, Trout (who managed the hostel), Danish, and I went out to the Stratton Plaza, a bar/restaurant across the street, and had a great time.All I've been doing is socializing and talking to people, but actually I'm itching to leave, and have been since this morning. Tomorrow I'm planning a late start to a 13.5 mile day--in the rain--to Spaulding Mountain Lean-to. I'm hoping to arrive after it stops raining, maybe between 6 and 7. 13.5 miles might sound like an easy hike at this point, but two 4,000 foot peaks, Crocker Mountain and Sugarloaf Mountain, are in the way. The hike starts with a 3,000 foot climb away from the trailhead.I'll shelter or camp at 3k feet. That should be no problem with the bag liner as long as there aren't any bugs. The liner weighs me down another 440 grams but feels very warm.Early in the morning I'll hit the post office and mail my Ursack to Vermont. Good riddance and it'll help offset the weight of my hot kitchen. Then I'll hit the market to pick up any needed food. An hour to pack, say goodbye to the problematic Altras, which have nevertheless carried me this far, and I'm ready for a 3.5 day hike to Andover. I wonder how I'll handle the change of shoe, but they feel really good so far.
Date: 2018-07-26
From: Stratton at ME Hwy 27

To: Nowhere
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: mist

My pack's base weight this morning was almost 18 pounds (8 kg). UPS delivered a sleeping bag liner, a stove, a titanium pot, cup, and spork, and Under Armour 1/4 zip pullover. I also gained Jaybird's shirt, though now I'll ask if maybe I could forward it. Not to mention the 230 gram (net) fuel canister, which actually weighs 356 grams. Gram Nazis beware.I thought I was on the 11 o'clock shuttle. The plan was to hike in 13.5 or so, hike until it stops raining, and then camp dry-ish. I walked down to the Post Office and sent ahead my Ursack, my eyeglass case, and sleeves. If I don't need the latter two by Hanover, they can go home. I was also in a hurry.The rain wasn't letting up, meaning there would be no views. On the way back from the PO an executive decision was made to bunk another night. A group of ladies and Carrot Top (who got in last night) decided the same way. I have another day to break in my Salamons and figure out my food resupply. I still need a UPS package with camera batteries. I can cut my fingernails. I highly recommend Fotter's Market, across the street. (There's vegan ice cream.)So, I spent the day--my third zero--getting myself ready and hanging around. Am I still gaining fitness or am I losing it?It was an excellent stay. I'm well fed and rested, and I certainly can't say enough good things about Trout. He SOBOed last year (2017) and is very dedicated to the hiker community. Y'all should stay with him to help make it a success.
Date: 2018-07-27
From: Stratton at ME Hwy 27

To: South Branch Carrabassett River
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: clear sky

Today, the weather promised to cooperate until the afternoon. I got onto the 8:30 shuttle, which left at 8 due to an irate day hiker who wanted to leave as early as possible. Maybe it was the weather.After climbing 3000 feet from the highway, I was hoping to be treated to some nice views from Crocker Mountain. They were there, but they were nothing like spectacular Saddleback, which I was to see in a couple of days.The rain started just before I made the campsite at the South Branch of the Carrabassett. In keeping with my new outlook--taking it easy for a bit--I decided that the smart move would be to camp at the ford rather than try to crawl up Sugarloaf and Spaulding in the rain.I waited under a tree until there was a lull in the rain and quickly set up my tent and made ramen. It was nice to be dryish.
Date: 2018-07-28
From: South Branch Carrabassett River

To: Spaulding Mountain Lean-to 
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: few clouds

I took my time getting up Spaulding and to its namesake lean-to. Along the way I passed the bronze plaque (see my photos) commemorating the completion of the last 200 mile segment of the trail by the Civilian Conservation Corp on August 14th, 1937. A little communism goes a long way--81 years later we too can suffer along with them.After a few minutes playing with my stove, I was caught in the rain once again. What to do but stay? A thousand feet ain't what it used to be, so there was no way I was going down to Orbeton Stream and back up to the Poplar Ridge Lean-to.Several people stopped for lunch, among them The Riddler, a young lawyer from Toronto. She got her trail name by telling riddles. We got to talking and she told me that one of the things she missed was tea. Well, out came the stove again and the 1000-year pu'erh. I hope it gave her a good trail memory. On her way out she told us a riddle. Nobody could solve it and I can't remember the details.I sheltered that night, with a group of NOBOs and one SOBO, Old Canadian, who's actually from New York state but his accent is close enough. He's making 20 mile days (easily) and is thinking of slowing down just for the hell of it. He even packed in hot dogs to cook, over a real fire of course, and gave several away as trail magic. I hope to run into him again but that's not happening. First I have to make it to Rangeley.
Date: 2018-07-29
From: Spaulding Mountain Lean-to 

To: Reddington Stream Campsite
Miles today: 10.7

Today I went through the notch hosting Orbeton Stream and up over Saddleback Junior. As you can see from the photo, the trail is getting tougher, with more scrambling. At least I'm training for the Whites. Or Mahoosuc Notch, now a mere 60 miles away.The campsite itself was less than ideal. The water source is 400 meters away per sign, but I only went as far as I needed to. It had been raining and the blue blaze was flowing with water. It was also above 3000 feet, so I put on my tights and used my liner for the first time.
Date: 2018-07-31
From: Reddington Stream Campsite

To: Rangeley at ME Hwy 4
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

The crawl up to the Horn, on the way to the main summit of Saddleback, was probably the most challenging day of my hike since Katahdin. Legs don't really hurt anymore by this point, but feet still do. I'm very happy about the Salomon XA Pros.On the way out of Poplar Ridge, a group I'd met in Stratton caught up with me. Hiking with them was Calories, who I met during my zero at the AT Lodge in Millinocket. (If you're reading this--I lost my P-38 can opener already.) I had also had a good conversation with Nurse, who is a Male nurse and told me about the state of the profession. They're a good group of young people and I'm sorry I don't remember all of their names. I "let" them pass but caught up and passed them on the Horn.Once on the Horn, the trail was exposed. You could see the main summit 1.6 miles away. Fortunately the col was easy to hike through. There are definitely some breathtaking views from both. Another taste of the Whites and a very worthwhile climb.On the way down, I met Heisenberg. He told me about the hostel he was staying at--Fieldstone. It's run by Sherpa, another alum, and is owned by the same people as the Stratton Motel. I walked the 0.3 over to the Hiker Hut, where Down East was trying to hitch into Rangeley, also to Fieldstone. I was persuaded by his arguments in favor of electricity and went back to meet Heisenberg. Sherpa arrived a few minutes later and we were saved. Down East had been picked up and was already there.
Date: 2018-08-01
From: Rangeley, ME

To: Bemis Stream Campsites
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I zeroed in Rangeley yesterday, trying to eat enough protein and vegetables. I've started to get hungry on trail, while walking.Sherpa drove me to the trailhead and told me it was easy hiking to at least the ME 17, where Height of Land affords great views. So today I hiked some easy trail, followed by a steep and annoying descent. HoL had an ominous view of the mountains to come to the southwest.I felt a few drops of rain at the road crossing, and didn't want to go up Bemis in the rain, so I decided to camp after crossing the ford of Bemis Stream. There are a few good campsites there, close to water. Of course, it didn't rain.I spent the evening hanging out with Nurse and Calories and their group, who made it to the campsite around 7:30 and wasted no time setting up in the mountain twilight.
Date: 2018-08-02
From: Rangeley

To: Bemis Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Today all I did is hike the annoying ascent up to Bemis Mountain Shelter. I figured it would be the best way to split the distance, and after the climb up Bemis I was reluctant to go on. Better to hunker down and eat, if I was feeling worn out.
Date: 2018-08-03
From: Bemis Mountain Shelter

To: South Arm Road, Andover, ME
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: light rain

Today I hiked down to South Arm Road, where the Human-Nature Hostel picks up daily. There was a bit of scrambling, I'm sure, but by this point nothing memorable.The driver who picked me up was Yukon himself, Ryan Holt, and we had a great conversation on the way back to the hostel. I'm a huge fan of Naked and Afraid, though the AT is probably as close as I'll ever come to having those two problems.
Date: 2018-08-04
From: South Arm Road

To: Nowhere
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Today I took a zero at the Human-Nature Hostel. Nurse, Calories, Service, and Helen of Troy were there, as well as many others. You can't beat the scheduled pickup times, especially if you have AT&T. Nor can you beat the atmosphere.The hostel is on the bottom floor of a geodesic dome set on 42 acres in the Maine hills. It's not in town, but there are daily shuttles into Andover and to the Walmart in Moscow. The $5 breakfast is great and the staff also makes dinner for $10. They do the laundry for you. Most importantly, there is no place to walk, so you can zero the hell out of your zero by sitting around the fire pit.
Date: 2018-08-05
From: South Arm Road, Andover, ME

To: East B Hil Road
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: few clouds

Today I slackpacked the 10 miles between South Arm Road and East B Hill Road, with Moody Mountain in the way.On the steep descent to Sawyer Notch I started getting pain in my right knee, behind the kneecap, when bending. For the rest of the hike, I would wonder if I would make the 3:50 pick up. And for quite a while, the 5:50 pickup. There was a 1500 foot climb to Wyman Mountain before I would reach some easy slope. Medical evacuation would be incredibly embarrassing.Thankfully, the pain was related to descent under load, and I didn't have any problems with the ascent or the gentle slope down to East B Hill Road. Still, I nervously rested for a couple of minutes every couple of hundred feet of ascent. I didn't bother photographing a nice waterfall that I sat in front of for 15 minutes. I took it very slow and I wasn't sure I would make the 3:50 pick up until I was about an hour from the road. There might have been a little Road Fever at South Arm, but here the symptoms were much worse. This means at least another zero.
Date: 2018-08-08
From: Human-Nature Hostel

To: Pine Ellis Lodging
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Not me, my journal will be up to speed after this. Yesterday I posted a few daily entries but not much has happened since.I took another zero at HNH, then the next day, with the knee still tight, I decided to zero again but moved to Pine Ellis Lodging. Little Red, who had other business there, and I got a ride from Yukon on his way to the trailhead. I thanked him for the stay and assured him it was nothing personal. He joked about me hitching a ride back with him at 5:30.While at Pine Ellis, I met a few northbounders who told me about the notch and surrounding terrain. I met northbounder Don't Care and section hiker Willow, who's from Madison, and we had some nice conversation.If my knee holds out, I think I'll be fine and up to speed (the slow speed through the Whites) in no time. Little Red, a former high school athlete, told me that I probably need to stretch my hamstring. My knee was still stiff today but attempts to stretch deep hamstrings seemed to help quite a bit. I think I'll need to make them a habit.I also ordered trekking poles. Better late than never, but too bad I didn't do this a few days ago to adjust on some easier terrain.Tomorrow, on the 9th, I'm going to do a two-day semi-slack from East B Hill Road to Grafton Notch. (Normally this is a one-day slack.) Thankfully I've got my pack weight below 10 kg. Then I'll return to Andover to overnight at Pine Ellis and resupply, from where it should be three days to Gorham. This also gives me the option of taking another zero before the Mahoosuc thing. But by this point I'm feeling like the last SOBO, and it would be nice to catch some of the people I've hiked with. I need to keep in mind that I can posthole in December but I can't hike at all with a busted knee.