morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-08-29
From: Chairback Gap Lean-to

To: Carl A. Newhall Lean-to
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: overcast clouds

The word for the day is ¢Magic¢. Swamp Fox and I came across Trail Magic just before the woods road, before fording the West Branch of the Pleasant River. There were Whoopie pies and sodas hanging from a tree. What a gift! Where else in life can you find Whoopie pies in a tree? Plus last night I had half a beer at the Chairback Gap Lean-to that was left for hikers. So many blessings in life. We hiked over Chairback Mountain today. It was cloudy most of the day so there were no views. We forded the West Branch of the Pleasant River. Next, we passed the Hermitage, which is a grove of older pine trees; nice to see. We are saving the Gulf Hagas Trail (blue blazed side trail) for another trip. There are four of us in the shelter tonight. The Professor is here with us again.I almost forgot to mention the yellow jacket sting to my right ankle. And the fact that I slipped off a log and got a foot full of mud. The good out weighs the bad. Nite all.
Date: 2006-08-30
From: Carl A. Newhall Lean-to

To: East Branch Lean-to
Miles today: 10.8

Our shelter mates left early and we were on our way north by 7:15 am. We were heartened by some early morning sunshine, but the day was mostly overcast until afternoon. We had four stiff climbs in the morning: Gulf Hagas, West Peak, Hay Mountain, and then White Cap Mountain. On the way up West Peak, I saw a fossil rock with a few shells in it. It was too heavy to carry, but I enjoyed seeing it and thinking about the glaciers that moved it here. We had lunch on White Cap Mountain and the sun finally came out for good. We got our first view of Mount Katahdin to the north. The descent from the summit of White Cap was down magnificent stairs. We thought this was outstanding trail work. We stopped for water at the Logan Brook Lean-to and continued downhill. The remaining hike to the East Branch Lean-to was mostly flat and uneventful. We passed through a rather gloomy forest and got to the shelter at about 4:30 pm. Tonight we have the Professor, Slim, and Wondering Bill as shelter mates. They are all older hikers. We expect tomorrow to be a long day¢16 miles.
Date: 2006-08-31
From: East Branch Lean-to

To: Antlers Campsite
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we hiked from East Branch Lean-to to the Antlers Campsite. We had talked with Professor and agreed to meet him there in the evening. Today was a perfect mushroom picking day. We stuffed every open container we had with mushrooms. I have to admit our harvest slowed our hiking a bit. We had lunch at Cooper Brook Fall Lean-to with Ole Man. The water falls at this shelter were something to see¢stunning. We met a southbound hiker named Long Knife. He had an axe, ice pick, and two-32 ounce fuel bottles. He told us he wanted to be prepared. His shelter register entries end with ¢Keep your tomahawk sharp and your powder dry¢. On we went to Antlers campsite. It is hard to describe the beauty here. We are tented out on a point of land that has lake on three sides. There are beautiful tall red pines here. The sun rise in the morning is breath taking. The Professor is tented just inland to us. It is hard to believe we have this beauty to ourselves. (Guest insert by Swamp Fox: Maine has had some of the nicest privies of the whole Trail. The Antlers privy is special. It is called ¢Fort Relief¢. It is quite spacious and very clean. It has curtains on the two windows, a small table with a wash bowl, and, would you believe--dry toilet paper.)
Date: 2006-09-01
From: Antlers Campsite

To: Mahar Tote Road (White House Landing)
Miles today: 5.9

I can¢t believe I told Swamp Fox to wake me up at 5:30 am. I must have been crazy. The Professor, Swamp Fox, and I had agreed to leave early to have time to enjoy White House Landing. We were off hiking at 6:45 am. Enroute who do we see but our friend Doc Narly from last year¢s hike. He is doing a flip-flop this year. I dropped my pack and gave him a hug. It was like old home day. Doc Narly is a wonderful man. There was a girl last year who was cold in the Smokies. Doc Narly give her his vest. He is a rare person to give even when he has nothing. I was so elated to see him again, and we exchanged addresses. On we went to the trail to Pemadumcook Lake, where we had an awesome view of Katahdin. There were only a couple of puffs of clouds in front of it. The Mahar Tote Road was muddy and long. The mile here was painfully slow. We arrived at the dock at 10:35 am. I sounded the air horn at the dock for pick up. The owner was in his boat and after us in less than 5 minutes. What you have heard about the one pound cheeseburgers in all true¢magnificent. The hot water from the shower hit the spot as well. We are here with Ole Man and NaviGator (his wife Jaime), Professor, Wondering Bill and Slim. We did laundry with an old washboard and enjoyed lying on the grassy lawn. We all enjoyed dinner together at the Camp Lodge, and then adjourned to the bunkhouse for the night. (Guest insert by Swamp Fox: The weather has been just magnificent for the past 3 days, as has been the company of our fellow hikers. Our food bags were just about empty this morning. We have been on short rations. Our trail talk has been largely about food. We have created imaginary meals as we hiked. Rocky¢s favorite is lobster¢or as they say in Maine, lobsta. My perfect meal is pizza, doughnuts, ice cream and a Coors Light.)
Date: 2006-09-02
From: Mahar Tote Road (White House Landing)

To: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a fabulous day. We got up around 6:30 and packed up to leave. Breakfast was family style and so enjoyable. Ole Man, NaviGator, Professor, Slim and Wondering Bill were our table mates. Around 9 am we were in the boat for the ride back to the one mile long blue blazed trail which connects to the AT. Swamp Fox had an off day hiking and I waited for him a few times, which is so unusual. We had lunch on a wooden bridge on a logging road after Woodsrat Spring. Ole Man and NaviGator were there and gave us wine and a beer to pack out¢another Trail Magic. We agreed to meet them at Nahmakanta Lake, at the north end sand beach. NaviGator, Swamp Fox and I enjoyed a chilly, refreshing swim. Then we went on to meet Professor at Wadleigh Stream Lean-to. We five had the nicest evening sharing deep stuff about our lives. We had a warm campfire and much feelings, as we can all see our hike nearing an end.
Date: 2006-09-03
From: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to

To: Rainbow Spring Campground
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: broken clouds

(Guest entry by Swamp Fox): The five of us were up early today. We were on the Trail at 7:10 am, after the Professor and Ole Man left. NaviGator was going back to their vehicle to meet us tomorrow at Abol Bridge. We had a stiff climb first thing in the morning. We got another view of Katahdin from Nesuntabunt Mountain. We rested awhile at Crescent Pond, which is on top of a mountain. It is a beautiful sight. We met some interesting people on the Trail today: a German couple who are in process of traveling around the world and Pilot, a young lady who has thru hiked twice. She is a medical student in Massachusetts. After lunch the day turned cloudy, with rain predicted. Once again, we are racing the rain to our next campsite. We stopped for a break at Rainbow Stream Lean-to and met Blackfoot, an outdoor education teacher from California. From there the afternoon was largely getting to the campsite before the rain started in earnest. We had our tent set up at Rainbow Springs Campsite just before the rain got heavy. We ate our dinner in our tent. Rocky is quite adept at cooking while sitting in the tent. As I write this we are listening to Blackfoot playing a haunting melody on his flute. These are some of the Magic Moments on the Trail. It is raining quite heavily now, and tomorrow the Trail will be a mess as we hike to Abol Bridge and the end of the 100 Mile Wilderness. I am reminded of a similar night many miles ago in Virginia below the Dragon¢s Tooth. The Wilderness has been a mixture of everything the Trail offers¢beautiful clear days and miserable rainy days, Trail fellowship, beautiful sights, a little bit of hunger, and Trail Magic. This hike has been hard work and I¢m not sure I¢m ready for this experience to end. .
Date: 2006-09-04
From: Rainbow Spring Campground

To: Abol Bridge
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: light rain

Today was an off day for me. My legs were heavy and I just didn¢t feel like hiking. It had rained most of the night. The tent was soaked but we were nice and dry. I was packed up and on the Trail by 7:15 am. Ole Man and the Professor beat us out easily. Today was a busy Trail day.   There were all kinds of both south and northbound hikers. We hiked from Rainbow Spring Campsite to Abol Bridge Campground. We had lunch at Hurd Brook Lean-to.At Abol Bridge Campground, I got to meet up with Slow Walker who I had met last year at Madison Hut in the White Mountains. I love to reconnect with people on the Trail. Professor is also here with us in the campground. Tonight is a night to rest for me, after my three minute shower (quarter operated). I should add a little blurb about expectations and what Swamp Fox and I found hiking into Abol Bridge.   We expected an up-to-date bridge and a park-like setting for entering Baxter State Park. The bridge is an old wooden, one way bridge. Looks like it has seen a better day. To the right of the road there is a gravel pit and to the left of the road is an unkempt power line easement. It really looked run down. We were shocked after walking over 2000 miles to get here. Abol Bridge Campground and Store was friendly and well kept. I forgot about my shock before long.
Date: 2006-09-05
From: Abol Bridge

To: Katahdin Stream Campground ("The Birches")
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: broken clouds

Today began early. Everyone was packed and out before us. The anticipation of Katahdin is on everyone¢s mind. We hiked a nicely cared for trail to the ¢The Birches¢ campsite. This campsite at Katahdin Stream is reserved for thru hikers. Slow Walker, FreeBird, Sir Lancelot the Brave, and the Professor are here with us in the two shelters. Ole Man and NaviGator are in a nearby shelter and we went to their site for dinner and a campfire. Great time had by all cooking hot dogs and smores over an open fire. It was such a nice time to share knowing our journey is nearly done. I will miss everyone and this wandering life. (Guest insert by Swamp Fox: Our last night on the Trail! We will be in bed early, in anticipation of an early start tomorrow for the last mountain, Katahdin. Ranger Paul Corrigan briefed us in the afternoon on what to expect. It should be a dry day-Class I or II. It will be difficult to sleep tonight, anticipating the last climb¢4200 feet of altitude gain. Of the 6 of us who gathered for dinner tonight with Ole Man and NaviGator, not one of us has been able to finish the Trail in a single year. Five out of the 6 have had broken bones from the Trail. Only Rocky has come through intact, and she has had her share of physical difficulties to overcome. Slow Walker, in particular, had two broken knees in 2003 and came back in 2004, 2005, and 2006 to finish the Trail. He is an Irishman who practiced as a trauma surgeon in Chicago for 30 years. Ole Man has a mangled leg, thanks to a land mine in Vietnam, and had a broken foot in his first year on the Trail. I am proud to be in their company tonight.)
Date: 2006-09-06
From: Katahdin Stream Campground ("The Birches")

To: Baxter Peak, Mount Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I awoke to the sound of steady rain in the night. Gloom came over me and I thought the climb up Katahdin would not happen today. There was one more burst of rain in the morning. Swamp Fox, Slow Walker, Professor, Ole Man, and NaviGator all talked about whether or not to climb today. I said I would go with what the Professor wanted to do. Swamp Fox and I plan to ride back to NH with Professor so it seemed like we would summit together. Plus we had such a great Trail family after all the time we spent together. Suddenly, we could see blue sky breaking through the clouds. Swamp Fox said ¢Let¢s go¢, and in a second we were off. (Guest insert by Swamp Fox: A dry day today is worth two future days in the bush. Who knows what tomorrow may bring.)We agreed to meet Professor in Millinocket at the Appalachian Trail Lodge. All the others decided to wait a day. I missed them on this last leg of our trip. The first part of the climb was like a walk in the park. One mile in, there was a wooden bridge over Katahdin Stream and a privy off to the right. All I could think of was the nervous bowels of other thru hikers (laughing). The climb from Katahdin Stream Falls to Hunt Spur (tree line) was rocky and we needed to scramble over a few spots. From Hunt Spur to ¢The Gateway¢ was a boulder scramble. We used all four limbs and were frequently in contorted positions. It wasn¢t overwhelming because you could only see short sections ahead that you would be climbing, due to the contour of the Mountain. The weather would be crystal clear one minute and then you¢d be in a cloud. It kept going back and forth. The Mountain was so grand. The higher you got the more majestic the area looked. As we climbed you could see the rock promontory where The Gateway was. When we reached The Gateway, and entered the ¢Tablelands¢, it was a relief to walk straight ahead instead of bouldering. Crossing the Tablelands was neat. We could see the crowd gathered at the summit as we neared. We hiked with 6 different hikers. Sir Lancelot, FreeBird, and Tipper summitted before us. As we neared the final sign on the summit, I found myself welling up with tears. I had all these emotions about not being with my fellow hikers any more; the end of life on the trail; joy at having completed the entire AT. I stopped myself from crying because I didn¢t want to look swollen in the summit pictures. Swamp Fox and I hugged. We lingered on the summit having lunch. It was warm with minimal wind. On the way down it was actually hot in the sun. The section from the Gateway to tree line looked overwhelming as we descended. We could see the Trail going down the boulders before us. We slowly worked our way down. Swamp Fox did well, given his fear of open heights. It took us 4.5 hours up and 4.5 hours down.We stayed the night with Slow Walker, at Katahdin Stream Campground, in a lean-to he rented. We gave him the trail report and asked him not to descend the difficult part alone. I had a glee about being done, and sadness about the same.
Date: 2006-09-07
From: Katahdin Stream Campground 

To: Millinocket ME (AT Lodge)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Post Entry #1 (Guest entry by Swamp Fox)We awoke with Slow Walker before 5 am. We wanted to see him off on his final days hike after four years on the Trail. Rocky has become quite fond of this humble and gentle Irishman. She gave him a good luck hug before he started on the Trail around 6 am. We waited for the Professor, Ole Man and NaviGator to get to our campsite from Millinocket. They arrived at 7 am. We wished them well and our friends were all on their way on their big day. It was an odd morning for us. There was no urgency to get packed and be on the Trail. There were no miles to do. There was no shelter awaiting us at the end of the day. While lolling around the campsite, we saw a mink across the stream from our shelter.We finally left the campsite at 9:30 am. We went out to the camp road leading to Millinocket to hitch a ride. There is little traffic on this road, so I told Rocky we were going to have a hard time getting a ride. Rocky, optimistic as always, said there would be no problem. As is the case most of the time in such matters, she was right. Within two minutes a pickup truck came by and offered us a ride to Millinocket. They dropped us off at the very hiker-friendly AT Lodge. We goofed off most the day, until our friends came in from their climbs of Katahdin. We had a joyful dinner at a local restaurant with Professor, Slow Walker, Ole Man, and NaviGator. Four other hikers joined. We got reacquainted with the Roman Noodles, who we met at Neels Gap, GA, back in April. The Roman Noodles are a husband and wife doctor team from Georgia. This has been a great day.Tomorrow we will ride to Hanover, NH with the Professor and somehow get home from there
Date: 2007-02-25
From: home

To: home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: snow

PREP #2One of the neat things about the Trail is that you meet people with whom you keep in touch with for life, as a result of your common experiences on the Trail. One such person is Librarian. who we met coming down from Springer Mountain last April. (See her 2006 AT journal). We hiked together in Georgia for 6 days, and followed her progress afterwards.We recently visited Librarian and her fianc©, Dan, at their home in Pennsylvania. She graciously offered to drive us to our starting point at PA Route 16, near Waynesboro, PA. We will drive to their home from Philadelphia, and she will deliver us from there.   We will be starting our hike on Monday, March 5. We will be in no hurry, and may take 3 weeks to cover the 150 or-so miles. Rocky has insisted that I not prepare a spread sheet schedule for this hike. It is a weird feeling for me not to have a written schedule, such as I had for my 2005 hike and our 2006 hikes. Not that we were slaves to the schedule anyway. This is not so bad, as we will probably take Zero days when the mood strikes us. A rainy day is guaranteed to find us holed up in a shelter or a town. There are few things more miserable than hiking in the rain on a 35 degree day, which we are bound to have in March in Pennsylvania. We definitely are going to take a Zero at the Doyle in Duncannon.   We have had a few discussions about gear. Rocky wants me to hike with crutches to favor my right ¢bionic¢ knee. My reply has been ¢No Way¢. I will crawl over the Pennsylvania rocks first. Rocky is a great trail chef, and she has new menu ideas for this year. She does all the food preparation, and my job is to stay out of the way, and clean up afterward. She got a food dehydrator for Christmas, and has been preparing trail meals for the last month.   Eighteen days until we leave for Philadelphia, where we will spend the night before driving to meet Librarian. Can¢t wait.Swamp Fox
Date: 2007-03-04
From: home

To: Philadelphia
Miles today: 0.0

PREP #3Today we're driving to Philadelphia to spend the night with Swamp Fox's dad. Then on March 5th, we will meet Librarian at her home and she will deliver us to the Trail in the afternoon. Don't know how far we'll get the first day, as the shelters are fairly close together for the first 20 miles, or so. The weather looks good for the first few days. It will be cold, but dry.See you on the Trail.Swamp Fox
Date: 2007-03-05
From: PA Route 16 (near Waynesboro)

To: Tumbling Run Shelters
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: scattered clouds

We left Philadelphia at 8:30 am and reached the home of Dan & Denise (aka Librarian, AT 2006) in 1 1/2 hours. Our Trail Angels, Dan & Denise, were to deliver us to the Trail. We stopped for burgers in Gettysburg and at 2:10 pm, we were at the trail head at PA Route 16. This spot has bittersweet memories for us, as this is where we had to part on June 21, 2005, after hiking 580 miles together. Rocky set a brisk pace and we covered the 2.1 miles to Dear Lick Shelters in one hour. Swamp Fox had difficulty keeping up, particlularly on the downhills. Maybe this was because of his pack weight, 34 lbs. Rocky was carrying about 26 lbs. The day got progressively colder and windier, with flurries. It was in the mid 30's. Enroute to the Dear Lick Shelters, we saw the skeletons of 3 deer. Rocky had seen the carcasses in 2005 and was freaked out by the sight. We pushed onto Antietem Shelter, which is a beautiful shelter, but we decided to push ahead to Tumbling Run Shelters.These shelters are also beautiful and have obviously been renovated by Potomic Appalachian Trail Club (PATC). The trail maintenance is excellent--blow downs have been removed, new trail improvements, and privies in pristine condition.We arrived at Tumbling Run at 5:15 pm. These two shelters are marked "Snoring" and "Non-Snoring". For no particular reason we choose to set up our tent in the "Snoring" shelter. We cooked dinner by candlelight and by 7:15 pm we were in our bags for the night. T;he wind is howling outside. Tonight will be a good test for our 32 degree bags, with silk liners.We saw 4 people on the trail today--day hikers. The Trail was icy in places, particularly on the north side of the slopes.All in all, this has been a great day! We are happy to be together on the Trail again.
Date: 2007-03-06
From: Tumbling Run Shelters

To: Swamp Road (South Mountain PA)
Miles today: 4.6

We were cold last nite. The temperature in the tent was supposedly 35 degrees, according to our little pack thermometers. However, our water bottle was slightly frozen. It was 12 degrees outside the shelter, with a wind. It was difficult to pack because of our cold fingers, so it was almost 8 am when we hit the Trail. We warmed up a little during the initial two mile climb. However, the wind got worse, and Rocky was quite chilled. We decided to get off the Trail and into shelter at 11:30 am.We took a side road, Swamp Road into the tiny town of South Mountain, PA. We had no idea where we were going to find shelter for the cold. We were elated when we saw a sign "Hotel" on a dilapidated building in the little town. Unfortunately, the place was a smoky bar only. But the Trail gives you what you need. While we were comtemplating our plight, the bar owner, Jim, a retired 69 year old former sherrif, offered to drive us to the Rite Spot Motel on US Route 30, near Fayetteville. We were home for the night, and Jim will pick us up tomorrow at 9 am, and take us back to the Trail. Dinner was Italian subs at LaMattina's retaurant, a small neighborhood restaurant next to the motel. Life is good!However, tomorrow's weather is no prize--snow and below freezing temperatures.
Date: 2007-03-07
From: Swamp Road (South Mountain PA)

To: US Route 30
Miles today: 5.0

This morning as I awoke at the Rite Spot Motel, I questioned my sanity. There was already two inches of snow on the ground, and more on the way. Swamp Fox and I had talked about our options for the day. We had decided to slack pack the 5 miles between Swamp Road and Route US 30. The motel is on Route 30 and Jim, our Trail Angel, had agreed to give us a ride back to Swamp Road. I got so cold yeasterday. It took most of the evening for me to get all the feeling back in my thighs and fingers. I was nervous about repeating that experience. Jim came earlier than expected. I threw together what we needed and we were off. It snowed the whole time we hiked, with the snow getting about four inches deep. It was warmer than yesterday. I am grateful for that. My feet got cold, but otherwise I was fine. The Trail was smooth for the beginning and end. In the middle it was a ridge walk with a lot of boulders. The snow covering the rocks made finding footing difficult. Swamp Fox has done very well with his "bionic knee". We reached Route 30 three hours after we started our hike. After about 5 minutes, a nice couple from MD picked us up and took us the 5 miles to the motel. It's great to be warm, clean, and dry for the night. Back to shelters tomorrow. But it is LaMattina's Italian restaurant for tonight's dinner.Rocky