morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-07-28
From: Gentian Pond Shelter

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: few clouds

Started at: Gentian Pond ShelterEnded at: Full Goose ShelterMiles: 9.7Last night we were too beat to go collect water in the rain. So this morning we woke up thirsty. Very thirsty. Heather got up early (5:30) to pump water. On her way down to the stream she took a peek in at Gentian Pond. She comes running back to the shelter excitedly whispering (so as not to wake up anyone else) "Moose! Moose!" So I went down to take a look. It was cow with her two cute little calves. They were standing quitely in the pond eating grasses as the mist from the pond swirled around them. It was great.As quiet as we had tried to be, soon everyone in the shelter was up, taking a gander at the mama and baby mooses. We got to talking with some of the southbounders there in the shelter, exchanging information about what we can expect up ahead. It doesn't sound pretty. Dan, one of the funniest southbounders we've met so far, confirmed that Maine has no "switchback technology"; the trail just goes straight up and down the mountains. Wait, didn't we already do that part? I thought it was called the White Mountains. Today we crossed into our 14th and final state. The sign read "Maine: The Way Life Should Be." Seems like we're almost there. But in fact we still have 260 miles to go. Sheesh. This is a long trail. We had a tough time today. It took us almost 9 hours to do that 9.7 miles. And tomorrow's supposed to be the tough day: Mahoosuc Notch. The most infamous stretch of trail on the AT. It's only a mile, but it's widely reported to be the single most difficult mile. We had expected to hike through it today, but there was just no way. By the time we made it to Full Goose Shelter there was just no way.Heather here now. We did manage to get some beautiful views on top of Mt. Success, which was a welcome change after all the rain and clouds we've had lately. When we made it to the top, we found ourselves surrounded completely by blue and purple peaks in the distance, swimming in white clouds. The mountains looked as if they were islands peaking out of an ocean of clouds. It was possibly the most magical view of the entire trail.All that natural beauty stuff notwithstanding, it's only Day One of our 14th state and I've just about had it with Maine. Arwen, with his characteristic good cheer in the face of adversity, tried to give us (me and Leki) a pep talk. "Great job you guys. We're kicking butt." I blinked once, then replied deadpan, "Stuff it." That was about the nicest thing I could think of to say at that precise moment. Ah well, I'm sure tomorrow will be peachy. Uh, except for that Mahoosuc thing. I'm just going to forget all about that.Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-07-30
From: Baldpate Leanto

To: Andover, ME (hostel)
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: broken clouds

Started at: Baldpate LeantoEnded at: Andover, ME (hostel)Miles: 8Well another wonderfull day on the AT. We're only doing a short one into Andover today. Looking forward to staying at the Andover Guesthouse. The trail was steeeeeep most of the day...lots of ups and downs. It was nice though because the mountains were rocky granite slabs with almost no trees to block the beautiful views. Big slabs of rock made it feel a lot like a place called Enchanted Rock back in Texas. Of course Lekiless and Heather managed to find a flat spot on the top of, I think, Little Balpate Mt. in order to do "The Hustle". I provided the music as usual. They looked absolutely ridiculous!Mountain Man was feeling realy bad today. He looked horrible, and was really having a hard time doing the short miles. Nothing is worse than being ill and having to hike. I was amazed that he made it to Andover. Hopefully we will not catch his cold...oooops I shouldn't have said it.We stopped for a long break at Dunn Notch Falls. I had a good time flipping over rocks in the stream in search of aquatic insects. It was really clean water so there was a good variety of mayfly, stonefly, and catisfly species. I spent a few minutes showing everybody what I had found and was surprised that they were actually interested in the "Bugs". Lekiless was having a bad day today as well. We were waiting for him during this long break at the falls. After an hour, he finally came walking up, and he looked like a wild man. He wasn't sick or anything, he just was not feeling on top of his game. I think he had a minor flip out in the forest, or at least a case of the Mondays. He said something about watching his food bag tumble down a ledge and repeatedly hitting his backpack with his fist. I'll let Leki tell you the full story. In any case he made it and we're all glad to be in a hostel tonight.The Andover Guesthouse is a nice and very affordable hostel. It seemed like a palace compared to most we have stayed in. True we are sleeping in bunk beds, but we have actual sheets and towls, beleive it or not! The lady who runs this place is a character. She has a lot of rules... and you WILL follow them. But, she was rather endearing and had no problem with her at all. We hung out on her big front porch overlooking main street which is fronted by two convenience stores, a diner, and a couple houses. For such a small town there was a lot of activity, mostly kids riding bikes and couples walking around...it was nice. We ate pizza and drank beer, and it was good.Later,Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-07-31
From: Andover, ME (hostel)

To: South Arm Rd (hostel)
Miles today: 10.1

Started at: Andover, MEEnded at: South Arm Rd (hostel)Miles: 10.1We slackpacked 10 miles back into town today so we could pick up our package and go to Walmart. We had hoped to burn our camera's memory card to cd, but wouldn't you know it their machine is out of order. It'll be fixed tomorrow though. Great. We'll be 25 miles away by then.We had intended to get back on the trail and do a few more miles after running our errands, but I woke up with a cold this morning and the 10 miles we did pretty much took it out of me. I sat here on the porch of Andover Guest House trying to work up the motivation to get back out and hike but all I kept thinking was "I just want to go to bed!"All morning out on the trail we kept expecting to see our buddies who we stayed with the night before pass us going north, but no one did. When we got back to Andover we saw that no one had managed to move at all. Everyone seems to be suffering from a lack of motivation to hike. Hanging out with our buddies, watching movies and eating lots of food seems to be where it's at.I don't know what's happened to me all of a sudden but I'm having a hard time keeping a good attitude. Tonight I had a heart to heart talk with Leki over chicken noodle soup about it. So much of this trail I have gotten through the drudgery of endless hours of hiking by focusing on the positive: the ho-hum hiking is just what I do to get myself from one great exprience to another, I keep elling myseld, it's just filler time. Well guess what. There are about 12 hours of "filler" time and about 30 minutes of "great expriences" in the average day. And I've just about had it. This trail seems interminably long. I feel like I could die of old age trying to get to the end of it. I'm trying so hard to summon up the will to care right now.Maybe this cold is bringing out the pessimist in me. Or maybe hanging out on this beautiful wide wooden porch, watching quaint small town life pass us by, relaxing with some of our best friends... maybe all these things that are making me feel good right now are not making me feel excited to hike. Grumble.Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-08-01
From: South Arm Rd (hostel)

To: Bemis Stream Campsite (tent)
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: light rain

Started at: South Arm RoadEnded at: Bemis Stream Campsite (tent)Miles: 12.5We hung out on the front porch of the hostel some this morning waiting for our ride. Arwen asked me, "How you feeling this morning honey?" Something between a groan and a sigh was my reply.Today's worse than yesterday. It's just a little head cold, but when you've got 30 lbs strapped to your back and you're faced with these mountains, feverish, weak and stuffy is no way to be. But with less than a month left before our time runs out I know as well as anybody that we've got no room for zero days. So I put on a brave face and tried to make the best of it.I wasn't the only one having a tough time this morning though. We went around the table and everyone rated their motivation to hike. Leki put his at 2. Me at -2. Camel, who always has a smile on his face and enthusiasm in his step, rated his at a lowly 3. "I'm more motivated to go back to breakfast and talk to Deja some more."I lasted all of 5 minutes on the trail before breaking out in tears. Recently my hydration bladder (the glorified plastic bag I drink from) sprung a leak, so now I'm carrying two water bottles strapped to the outside of my pack, stuffed inside my sleeping pad. It's rather awkward to get to even when I'm 100%. Feeling as weak as I am today it was hopeless. I managed somehow to pull out one bottle for a drink, but when I couldn't put it back I just felt so helpless. I mean, what kind of pathetic hiker can't even get a damn drink of water? "I'll help you with your water bottles honey," Arwen offered. I honestly don't know what I'd do without him.If I could've just gotten some nice flat trail today it wouldn't have been so bad. But noooo, it was one ridiculourly steep up and down after another. It's incredibly un-macho of me to admit it, but I cried the entire last 2 miles to camp, cursing every rock, root, and steep slope, wondering why can't Maine give me any damn decent trail? I felt so weak, my head hurt, and my nose was a water faucet. And here's a news flash for ya. There ain't no kleenex out here in the woods. All that - ahem - superfluous moisture has to go somewhere. The only way I could force myself to keep moving was to take a solemn vow that tomorrow morning at the next road crossing I'll hitchhike off this godforsaken trail to the next town and get a ride home. Or maybe somewhere else. Seriously. All of a sudden this whole thing seems like an exercise in absurdity. I didn't come out here with anything to prove. Why am I still here?Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-08-03
From: Rangeley, ME (house)

To: Poplar Ridge Lean-to
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: few clouds

Started at: Rangeley, MEEnded at: Poplar Ridge Lean-toMiles: 10.7We had a great start to the day. Pat made us coffee and took us back to the trail. We wish all the best to her daughter Kate; hope your thruhike goes well. Weather-wise it was another beautiful day. Two in a row, that's almost too much to ask for. We had been dreading the hike up and over Saddleback Mountain, but the terrain proved much easier than the profile had us believe. It figures. Saddleback is a popular dayhike, especially for people who are trying to bag all the 4000 footers in New England, even for families with small children. Inpopular areas like this, trail maintainers add all the special touches to keep the tourons from hurting themselves. Metal ladders over steep rocks, wooden or stone steps into the steep slopes, and bog boards over the muddy parts so their shoes don't get soggy. Yep, thank goodness for tourons. Every mile of touron trail is a great mile to hike. Of course the minute we made it past the summit of Saddleback we were left to our own devices, navigating our way down ridiculously steep, jagged rocks with nothing but our poles and our knees.Todays's hike was a series of peaks along a ridgeline. We made it over thefirst four or five with perfect weather. Sunny and warm but with a steady breeze to keep the sweat off you. It was Leki, Camel, Arwen and myself. We stopped for photo ops and a long lunch along the way.Then, with almost no warning, nearly emerging from the treeline up the next climb, rain, thunder, lightning, and hail out of nowhere. Camel had gone a ways ahead of us; we figured he'd already made it over the ridge and back down to safe cover on the other side. Imagine our surprise when we came across his pack in the middle of the trail and his trekking poles hurled haphazardly off it. And there he was off to the side, crouched in a ball doing the old "duck and cover" routine. Apparently he's had some hairy encounters with lightening that make him loathe to take chances. We stayed put for nearly an hour trying to avoid being electrocuted. Finally the lightening let up and we were able to make our way over and down the ridge to the next shelter. After agonizing over the math ("How much do we have to average to make it to the end on time?") we decided to cut it short for the day. Here we met Bluebearee, Jester and Bigfoot, thruhikers from 2002 who kept us laughing.I'm feeling better today. Maybe it was the town stay. Maybe it's because I'm on the mend. But shoot, we only have 16 days left out here. I can last that long.Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-08-04
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-to

To: Crocker Cirque Campsite
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Started at: Poplar Ridge Lean-toEnded at: Crocker Cirque CampsiteMiles: 14.2We got an early start this morning (a novelty these days) and began the day by putting on soaked-thru shoes and socks. This afternoon the sun came out and gave us a chance to dry stuff out over lunch. We always count ourselves fortunate when we don't have to slog around in wet stuff two or more days in a row.We actually managed to get some decent miles in. Decent, considering the terrain and our recent collective compulsion to do anything but hike. This evening we're camping out with some veteran hikers out for a section. They're really nice guys and we enjoyed sitting around the fire with them tonight.Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-08-05
From: Crocker Cirque Campsite

To: Horn's Pond Lean To
Miles today: 12.4

Started at: Crocker Cirque CampsiteEnded at: Horn's Pond Lean-toMiles: 12.4Those backpackers from last night gave us some extra granola bars before they took off this morning, which was a good thing because we're all running low on food.Camel, Leki and we made it into town by noon. Not surprisngly our firstpriority was getting some grub. We parked ourselves at the town diner, ordered greedily, waited impatiently, and at last ate with delight. We made a couple brief phone calls, ordered some new shoes for Heather, resupplied, pinched some tp from a public bathroom, mailed a few things home to lighten up, and got backon the trail by 3:30. You know, the usual crazy town routine. About two miles in we realized we forgot one important thing: fuel for our stove. Hope we weren't planning on eating for the next two days. Oh well, things usually work out, so no point in stressing about it. Rambling Man caught up to us this afternoon. It was good to see him again. When we got to the shelter this evening, took off our packs and cooled off we noticed it was unusually chilly. We're not up that high, around 3100 feet, but it's already 45* and the sun's not down yet. Our sleeping bags are ratedfor 40*. The "rating" on your bag usually means that at the given temperature you'll live (probably) but not necessarily be comfortable at that temperature! Good thing we just sent home our gloves and sleeping bag liners today. Should make for an interesting night. At least our sleeping bags zip together, so we can cuddle for warmth.Lately we seem to be thinking a lot about the end of the trip. We're looking forward to that sense of completion, but we're also a little hesitant. It's hard to imagine what else we'll be good for once we get back home. Didn't think I'd feel that way a couple days ago, but there it is.Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-08-06
From: Horn's Pond Lean To

To: West Carry Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: light rain

Started at: Horn's PondEnded at: West Carry Pond Lean-toMiles:Today was a Big day. We hiked over pretty much the entire Bigelow range. Woke up this morning to thick fog and clouds. The mountain that had been standing right in front of our shelter was completely obscured from view. We found out from the caretaker that it had gotten down to 38* last night! I don't know about these yankee summers. How can it be 38* in August? In Houston it's probably 138. We stayed warm in our bags last night though, thanks to all the layers we were wearing. I don't think I'd slept in rain pants out here before. We got a fairly early start over the Bigelows. We were grumbling a little because of the fog; we had hoped to have good views, because these would be the last for a while - pretty much until Katahdin. When we got to the first peak, North Horn, we were pleasantly surprised to find the clouds clearing and the fog moving past. The sun was beginning to shine brilliantly, giving orgeous views of the huge lake below.It was a long day of hiking with Leki, Camel and Rambling Man. We got to the shelter later than we have been lately. There we found 2 section hikers there who were nice enough to let us use their stove to heat up our mac n cheese. We forgot to get fuel at the last town and are on the verge of running out. Tomorrow we'll need to be on our game again. We've got to do 14 miles before 4 pm in order to meet the ferryman at the Kennebac River so we can get into the town of Caratunk. An interesting note: the ATC provides a ferry service (a guy in a canoe) to take you across the wide Kennebec River. The state of Maine seems to have some sort of pathological aversion to building bridges across its waterways. The official route of the AT used to require hikers to ford this river. But the hydroelectric dam upstream releases water unpredictably, and several hikers had close calls over the years. One even tragically died. Since then, they've provided this ferry service. But to make it before the ferry stops running we'll have to book it. We haven't done that many miles so early in the day in a long time. Hope we can remember how to. Wish us luck.Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-08-07
From: West Carry Pond Lean-to

To: Caratunk, ME
Miles today: 14.0

Started at: West Carry Pond Lean-toEnded at: Caratunk, MEMiles:What a great day. What can I say, town days are my favorite even still. We had an incredibly flat, easy walk from the shelter to the ferry, and even managed to take an hour and a half for lunch at Pierce Pond, and still make it to the ferry well before 4. Pierce Pond would've been a great spot to go swimming, but it's so dang cold all the time here inMaine. They say Maine has two seasons: winter and July. July is past us now, so things are definitely cooling off. Not that I'm complaining; it makes for excellent hiking weather.The Kennebec River is absolutely gorgeous, sparkling and blue, cutting a path past mountains on both sides. We met Steve, the ferryman, at his bright red canoe at river's edge. He made jokes and pleasant conversation as he ferried us across, two by two. The sun was out, flowers are in bloom, and we were all giddy to be heading to the Caratunk house.The Caratunk House is a lovely white Victorian home with green trim thatlooks more like a B&B than a hiker hostel. We met the owner, Paul, in thequaint, casual garden next to the house as he was giving another hiker a mohawk. We were shown to the renovated barn, furnished comfortably with antiques, old rugs, and signs from the trail. We were invited to make ourselves at home. We did. It was only 4 pm and we had the whole rest of the day to relax. A little later Paul took our orders for milkshakes, which he makes with over a pint of ice cream in each one. He washed our laundry while we made ourselves comfy and watched movies. For dinner he cooked us burgers, which we washed down with a couple beers. Aah, this is the life!Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-08-08
From: Caratunk, ME

To: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 14.0

Started at: CaratunkEnded at: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-toMiles: 14.0We took our sweet time getting back on the trail this morning. Slept in a little, till 7, when Paul sang us "The Good Morning Song" and called us down to breakfast. We found before us an incredible spread: juice, coffee, homemade jams, fresh baked muffins with Maine blueberries, eggs, potatos, and french toast. All of it served in a beautiful room on a round table set with silver and crystal. I hadn't felt so human in a long time. Eventually we packed up and made our way out. Saw Mountain Man, Chris & Anna at the shelter we stopped at for lunch. They seemed in good spirits. It was nice to see their dog Beau. We stopped for a LONG time on top of Pleasant Pond Mt to pick blueberries. I think we did more blue berry pickin than hikin today!We saw an incredible sight today. A storm coming from the distance. We thought is was coming right for us, but it ended up moving parrallel to us, just to our left. We would stop periodically to watch this wall of water slowly engulf the landscape right next to us. Then the lightning started, so we floored it! Regardless of the thunder storm, we had to stop for more blueberries every once in a while. The day ended with a wonderful rainbow.Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-08-09
From: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to

To: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Started at: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-toEnded at: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-toMiles: 13Yes.....we ate lots of blueberries on this day, and it was good.Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net