morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-09-01
From: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to 7:22pm - Walking in a Hur

To: Gull Pond Lodge (Rangely, ME) 9:12pm - Wandering A
Miles today: 9.4

Gull Pond Lodge (Rangely, ME) 9:12pm - Wandering AroundI awoke this morning, straining to hear the staccato rhythms that lulled me to sleep the night before. They were absent, chased away by ever-growing patches of blue sky. It was going to be a nice day.The trail, as I expected, was more water than dirt. Had it been discovered by early explorers, it would have been named and declared a seasonal river. I waded as much as I hiked, sometimes through knee-deep water. But there were occasional stretches of walkable trail and also a few nice views where the trail wandered by ponds. I eagerly scanned the shorelines hoping to see a moose but the antlered ones continued to elude me.I made it to the Rangeley crossing a bit after eleven and started to hitch. Before too long a van pulled up and dropped off hikers. Its side read "Gull Pond Lodge," the place I planned to go for the evening. I briefly saw Stats, Mad Pumpkin, and Jude as they climbed out. I then met Bob, the owner of the Lodge. He was heading to Andover to shuttle a hiker but gladly gave me a ride to town.Rangeley is a small, compact tourist town built on the edge of a pond that seems far more lake-like to me. It's a very pleasant place to spend an afternoon. In fact, it's the only place I've been where I consider the laundromat a must-stop destination. It's run by a very friendly former thru-hiker who was great to talk to. They even had loaner clothes, a first for a laundromat along the trail!Slightly cleaner I wandered into town to sit along the lake and check email at the library (successively, not concurrently). I ran into Red Wing near the library. He, Hopeful, and Mayfly were all chowing down on some pizza. When Bob met me at the general store around 3pm I directed him to the others. They wanted some time to check e-mail so he gave us another hour which I used to shoot off an e-mail requesting two more weeks off work. All in all, it was a fairly productive afternoon.Bob brought us back to the Lodge, a nice sized house on the lake's edge. Bob, however, is the reason why a hiker should stay here. His wit is something else. One of his dogs got in the trash and Hopeful asked if there was anything she could do. "You hold the dog," Bob growled, "and I'll shoot him." I commented that I didn't realize there was a large pack behind me. "Nineteen hundred miles and you don't notice thirty five pounds on your back?" Kayaking across the lake was fun; talking with Bob was more entertaining.He shuttled us back to town so the others could do laundry which we followed with dinner. Then it was back to the Lodge which was now home to yet another nobo named Captain Patagonia who had snuck up behind us. At long last, I managed to squeeze in a shower. Not a bad way to end the day.
Date: 2005-09-02
From: Gull Pond Lodge (Rangely, ME) 9:12pm - Wandering A

To: Poplar Ridge Lean-to 7:37pm - The Long Goodbye
Miles today: 9.7

Poplar Ridge Lean-to 7:37pm - The Long GoodbyeI almost forgot to mention the most important event for yesterday. While at the library I received an email from Crazy Legs. Professor and Bridge didn't pull the mileage needed to make our rendezvous and were a full day behind. Crazy seemed pretty ticked and I was bummed. I was really hoping to meet up with them again but I can't wait forever. Crazy Legs urged me to hike on and I agreed. Eventually you have to hike your own hike.I had a nice breakfast at Bob's this morning. It wasn't the elaborate spread of The Cabin and I was actually glad for that. As good as The Cabin's food was, I think I stocked up my fat reserves enough to get me to Katahdin and then some. Cereal, english muffins, a banana, OJ, and coffee hit the spot. Mayfly was shuttled up to Stratton by Bob; she's on a schedule and lost time due to the rains. Captain Patagonia was shuttled to the trail and Bob took the rest of us into town to mail off some packages before dropping us off at the trailhead. I had a great stay with Bob and his dogs, Gwendy and Marcus. Bob relayed a comment a previous hiker had made to him. "If there's such a thing as reincarnation, I want to come back as one of your dogs." Those dogs live a rough life lounging around and getting all sorts of attention from hikers and sometimes into trouble. When they got into the bagels yesterday Bob remarked that he hoped they at least found the jelly and marmalade.The trail was much drier today; the rushing river had subsided. We had a mostly gradual climb to the top of Saddleback Mountain where we were treated to spectacular views. Red Wing, Hopeful and I enjoyed it with a two-hour lunch. We had no need to rush today. Our schedules have aligned perfectly for the last few days. It sounds like we¢ll be hiking together for at least a few more days if not till the end. Time will tell as it always does.We had more views on top of The Horn and yet more vistas from Saddleback Junior supplemented by some blueberries. A bit before six we reached the shelter occupied only by our recent friends Chris and Alicia. It¢s an older shelter but comes equipped with a ten page info sheet left by the maintainer, Dave. Dave is a quite an entertaining writer and answered a lot of the questions we¢d had during the day. Why are there some orange blazes? They¢re old property line boundaries. Why is the privy so far from the shelter? It¢s due to a sanitation regulation due to the nearby stream. Where do moose go during the day? They hide from hikers and if you haven¢t seen one yet you¢re overdue for a close encounter. Despite my late morning breaks around ponds I remain mooseless. But according to Dave there¢s still hope¢¦Finally today is my five month anniversary on the trail. Happy Anniversary to me.
Date: 2005-09-05
From: Stratton Motel

To: Stratton Motel 8:43pm ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ The Road to Another Town
Miles today: 0.0

Stratton Motel 8:43pm ¢ The Road to Another TownI only mind rain if it comes down as I¢m either setting up or breaking down camp. Yesterday morning I barely escaped the latter. After scattered showers during the night we all managed to get up, eat breakfast, and pack up during a dry period. We hoped the rains had subsided but instead they made a final hurrah in the form of a light drizzle that accompanied us for the first hour or so of hiking after Red Wing and Hopeful¢s friends had left. Blue sky kept peeking out of the clouds though, offering a glimpse of the day to come as we crossed the Crocker Mountains. We hadn¢t heard anything about these peaks beforehand and it became apparent why. They¢re merely connecting miles of trail with no real climbs, views, challenges, or true significance to set them apart from oh so many other miles.We reached the road crossing for Stratton around eleven thirty but didn¢t get a hitch in for another half an hour. Stratton has two motels, a general store, a food mart, a diner, and a pizza joint. It¢s a one horse town in a land without equines. Perhaps ¢one moose town¢ would be a better term. There¢s plenty of evidence of the aforementioned moose on the trail but he still remains to be seen.I really, truly only planned to have lunch, resupply, and head back into the woods, but as usual, no plan ever succeeds as planned. Red Wing and Hopeful heard that some friends are a day and a half back and trying to catch them. Consequently, we shifted our plans back a day. Rather than hiking out yesterday afternoon we¢ll hike out later today.And so we passed the time chatting with some of the southbounders and section hikers who were in the Stratton Motel¢s bunkroom. We also hit up the grocery store for more than mere resupply opting to take advantage of the motel¢s grill through the wonder and magic of cheeseburgers. I¢m also an omelet junky. To this day it baffles me as to why a diner-made omelet costs nearly six bucks. In not too long I¢ll be having one of my own design for far less. Plus, there¢s the satisfaction of creation ¢ who doesn¢t like to look at anything built of their own labor, be it a building, boat or box, and feel the welling up of pride? Finally, the race for finalizing my summit plans has entered its final leg. Calls have been made, the Internet has been searched. Will the deadline be met? Stay tuned and find out in the concluding chapters of this Journal.
Date: 2005-09-06
From: Stratton Motel 8:43pm ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ The Road to Another Town

To: Flagstaff Lake 6:24pm ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ Shooting Star 
Miles today: 16.8

Flagstaff Lake 6:24pm ¢ Shooting Star As so often occurs when I fall behind in journaling this account will not cover today. Instead, it is about distant times past ¢ i.e. yesterday.It was a slow morning but I wouldn¢t have had it any other way. I had a banana and some coffee and passed a good spell reading. When Red Wing and Hopeful started stirring omelets hit the griddle. Afterwards Red Wing and I made the kitchen shine atoning for sins of hikers past.When coming back from the Laundromat I saw some familiar hikers getting dropped off. They were Fig and Just Visiting who were last seen near Mt. Rogers in Virginia. They¢d been ahead of me until I somehow slipped by them sight unseen somewhere in New England. That¢s the story of my hike. They told me Crazy Legs had broken free of the pack and was hiking on hoping to catch me. Unfortunately, he passed them the day before and I hadn¢t seen him in town. Had he already passed the Stratton Crossing? It would be a shame if he followed Live Strong¢s lead and passed me by.Two more nobos showed up at the motel before too long ¢ Two Trackin¢ and Esoteric Ninja. They¢ve always been ahead of me but are now behind. I slipped past them on the summit of Sugarloaf seeing as how they opted to stay in the Sugar shack. We weren¢t sticking around too long, though, and were back hiking by three. Don, the motel owner, gave us a ride to the trailhead.It was a fairly easy five miles to the Horn Pond Lean-to with a bit of a climb to reach the ridge of the Bigelow Mountain. A nobo from last year named Pipes showed up and hung out a bit with us. She¢s finishing up a couple of miles she missed due to a wedding. Just before dark, after we¢d wrapped up dinner, another nobo showed up. Hazy Sonic is a bit famous for playing his guitar while hiking. He didn¢t do that last night but he¢s a good guy. Red Wing and Hopeful had hiked with him for a good while down south when he was hiking with his wife, Firefly. He¢s on a blistering pace to Katahdin so that he can make her Air Force graduation ceremony. He only stuck around long enough to cook before disappearing into the black night.I watched the stars again before going to bed. It was a clear night without a single cloud. I saw several shooting stars including one that blazed across the heavens for a good five seconds before fading into obscurity. Glory is fleeting but obscurity is forever.
Date: 2005-09-07
From: Pierce Pond Lean-To 6:53pm ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ A Little Help from My

To: Pierce Pond Lean-To 6:56pm ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ You can't always get 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Pierce Pond Lean-To 6:56pm ¢ You can't always get what you wantI slept last night on the beach under the stars. The bats were dancing in the sky above my head to the loon's music. I don't wear my contact lenses while sleeping so the stars didn't seem to be as brilliant as usual. Still, I could see well enough to catch a shooting star when I rolled over in the middle of the night.I woke to the sight of fog steaming off the lake. My sleeping bag was pretty wet thanks to the dew. In retrospect, perhaps cowboying it on the beach wasn't such a great idea. It seems that the beach is always better in theory than in practice. One tends to forget the unpleasantries.It was an easy nine mile stroll to East Carry Pond for lunch passing West Carry Pond in the process. Maine certainly is not lacking for ponds and lakes. The terrain up to there and beyond was far flatter and easier than anything else previously seen in this state. Seriously, have I died and gone to Maryland? The only real challenge was a bog in which the log crossings tended to float of their own accord instead of being anchored. Consequently, they tended to sink when stepped upon.We reached Pierce Pond Lean-to at 3:30 after maintaining a 3 mile per hour clip for six miles from East Carry Pond. I can't recall the last time I've managed that pace. We dropped our packs and went down to the nearby Harrison Camps to register for breakfast. Yes, a nearby retreat sells a 12 pancake breakfast to thru-hikers. Sadly, we've planned our Maine agenda around this breakfast. I hope it's good.Afterwards we all went for a quick swim in the pond next to the shelter. No sooner had I emerged than Hopeful spotted some leeches in the water. "But don't let that discourage you from swimming," she quickly added. Yeah, right.Thru-hiking messes with your sense of taste. Normally, I'd never consider mixing together saffron rice, red lentils, chive and onion mashed potatoes, and cranberries. Tonight, I called it dinner. More scarily, I enjoyed it.Now I'm letting the evening wind down while scanning the pond's shoreline in vain for moose. It's often said that you never see what you're looking for. Perhaps if I try really hard to see a spotted leopard I'll finally glimpse a moose.
Date: 2005-09-07
From: Pierce Pond Lean-To 6:56pm ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ You can't always get 

To: Pierce Pond Lean-To 7:57pm
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Pierce Pond Lean-To 7:57pmI just had my first moose encounter. While hanging around the shelter, Red Wing, Hopeful and I heard a loud splashing in the pond. We stopped and listened carefully: the splashing came again. We peered at a nearby cove from which the sounds came, but it was simply too dark. Undaunted, we crept through the woods by headlamp, following the shore and emerging in the cove. Dead across from us came the unmistakable sound of something big in the water. Still unable to see it, we listened to it make its way to shore. Splashing turned into twigs breaking, and then we heard a snort. The crashing receded into the forest as the moose went on its way.
Date: 2005-09-09
From: Bald Mtn Brook Lean-to 7:26pm - Michael Row Your B

To: Doughty Pond 6:53pm - Is This The Fall?
Miles today: 20.5

Doughty Pond 6:53pm - Is This The Fall?When I look back on this trip I'll likely think about it as an endless summer. I watched bare trees give birth to leaves and gave witness as the forest floor turned from brown to green. The spring quickly turned to summer as the days lengthened and the cold nights vanished. Now, though, I notice a tinge of yellow creeping into the once vibrant green leaves. The occasional maple shows a burst of color - red and purple. The evening air has a bite and the sun seems to set way too early. Autumn is creeping in. I see it in the thin blanket of fallen leaves that cover the trail; I smell it in the air.Today will hopfully be my final twenty plus mile day (yes, I know I've said that before). We hiked 20.5 miles to end up just shy of Monson in order to try to get a ride to a hiker festival in Caratunk tomorrow. Because of the long day, Red Wing, Hopeful and I got an early start. Immediately we climbed up the gorgeous Moxie Bald (a mountain, two ponds, and a soda are named after it, but what is a Moxie?) and were treated to some excellent views from its open summit. Clouds to the north obscured the rumored views of Katahdin, though. No matter, there really wasn't any cause for complaint on a September day as nice as today.We had to forge several streams today including the west and east branches of Piscataquis River. They don't build bridges in Maine. They would just wash away in the Spring. But Maine has a rugged remote feeling and the fords just seem natural. Well, the trail magic cooler after the east branch of the Piscataquis didn't seem natural but I'm not one to complain.While walking along this afternoon I saw my third moose! I happened to notice that a large black bush about fifty feet ahead started to walk away up the trail. The antlers identified him as a bull and he was huge - seven feet tall, at least! He ambled away as soon as we spotted him. We tried to stalk him as he walked up the trail but he soon turned off into the brush. It's hard to describe the sense of enormity conveyed by these creatures up close.We reached Doughty Pond about five thirty and scanned the shore for tent sites but it was a fruitless search. Red Wing scouted ahead on the AT and found a place for them to pitch their tent. I'm currently writing as I sit in my hammock using it as a swing suspended directly across the trail. It seems everyone has a story about the time they camped right on the trail but it took me all the way to Maine to join that club.I have ten, maybe eleven days left until I summit Katahdin. I intend to enjoy every minute of it.
Date: 2005-09-11
From: Rivers & Trails Hostel (Caratunk, ME)

To: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-To
Miles today: 14.7

D©j vu All Over AgainAnybody tracking my progress will notice something odd: I¢ve been here before. I spent the night in this shelter three nights ago. While in Caratunk I had a realization, I was in Caratunk and so was Professor Nutbag. I¢d really like to summit with him and Bridge, especially after hiking 800 miles with them. More than anybody else on the trail, they have helped to shape my thru hike. Summiting with such close friends would be a fitting end.Rather than return to Monson with Red Wing and Hopeful, I walked out of Caratunk with Professor Nutbag and Ug. I didn¢t have to wait for them to catch up; instead, I could spend my time hiking with them. It was hard to leave Red Wing and Hopeful behind after hiking so far with them and becoming good friends, but rejoining my crew was something I had to do. Sure, I got a ton of strange looks at the feed when I started talking about my plan. Frankly, repeating miles isn¢t something that thru hikers tend to do. It¢s almost unheard of ¢ when it comes to trail miles, we¢re down right lazy. But 37 miles is a small price to pay to be back with my friends.After a wonderful breakfast of sausage gravy, biscuits, eggs, bacon, and banana bread, we broke camp and walked the road a mile to the trailhead. Right as we reached it, Low Bridge emerged from the woods on the other side of the road. His ankle was a lot better, but still not perfect, he told us. He¢ll try to catch up today after resupplying but couldn¢t guarantee it. To date he hasn¢t caught up, so we¢re pinning our hopes on a full reunion tomorrow evening. The trail was quite similar to the last time I hiked it. The major difference was the number of hikers on it. Last time it was just Red Wing, Hopeful, and myself. Today the trail resembled a super highway. Perhaps twenty hikers or more left the feed at roughly the same time. We ping-ponged the whole way up to the shelter, recongregating at scenic ponds and at a trail angel with sodas a bit less than six miles in. It felt almost like Georgia.The shelter has that feel, too. It¢s jammed full (Ug, Squid Jerky, Fig, Just Visitin¢, Many Faces, and a few others) and all the nearby tent spots are taken (Professor, Pumpkin, and myself). The nearby camping area is also pretty full ¢ Proteus, Leviathan, Wilderness Bob, The Muppets, and perhaps the Troll Family are currently in residence. It¢s certainly a far cry from what I¢ve grown used to, but it¢s fun to be back in the crowd again.
Date: 2005-09-12
From: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to

To: East Branch Piscataquis River
Miles today: 15.3

7:08pm ¢ Down By The RiverDue to the massive thru hiker pack, Professor and I decided to wait a day before going to Monson and avoid at least part of the crowd. Consequently, it was a later start out of camp today for myself though apparently quite an early start for him. We set off on trails still fresh in my mind. I felt almost like a local tour guide though I did suggest and lead a premature rock-hopping and bushwhack to avoid a non existent river ford.It was much windier and far more overcast on top of Moxie Bald than last time so we didn¢t linger. Instead, we lingered just about everywhere else ¢ a shelter, lunch, after a river ford, and on a random rock. The day cleared up and it got pretty warm so we didn¢t much mind the breaks and in fact quite enjoyed them. We somehow worked ourselves ahead of the portion of the pack not pushing into Monson today but still found it odd that we saw no sign of Ug. Upon reaching the final river ford of the day we found out why. We briefly caught up with the Troll Family who told us that we just missed Ug who is on his way to town. We thought he was behind and that he¢d just hike until he found us. We thought wrong but passed a message up to him about our plans with the Trolls.Surprisingly, nobody since has gone by or set up camp nearby. We again figured incorrectly that this would be a popular stopping point for folks. We¢ve had dinner, skipped our share of rocks, and watched the sun dip below the trees. It¢s good to be back with Professor. No sign of Low Bridge yet but we don¢t really expect him to catch up until Monson tomorrow.
Date: 2005-09-16
From: Long Pond Stream Lean-To

To: Carl A Newhall Lean-To
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: overcast clouds

8:01 pm - 99 and a Half Won't DoWhen I woke up this morning, I had 99.4 more miles to hike to Katahdin's summit. However, ninety nine and a half won't do - I still need to get off the mountain. But ignoring that detail, I covered one fifth of the distance to the Big K today, hiking 20.8 miles with Ug. Yes, I know I swore off twenty mile days but we're trying to stick to our pre-package plan. We're close enough now - we can theoretically make it the rest of the way without breaking twenty.My longest day has been 29.5 miles, but I don't think it was as tough as today. We had a nearly constant barrage of roots and rocks, with plenty of mud thrown in for good measure. It was up and down the whole way, too. We didn't make good time - 20.8 miles in about eleven hours. We woke up and were hiking by quarter til eight and didn't finish until just before seven pm, barely beating the dark. There were some nice views along the way to ease our pain, though. The views off Barren Mountain are some of my favorites on the trail - it overlooks a pond in the valley below, with a small mountain rising just behind it. No towns and few roads were visible.We had a ford toward the end of the day and ran into a ridge runner on the far side. We chatted with him for a bit about the local area and were pleasantly surprised to hear his estimate of the time needed to cover the remaining 5.5 miles to the shelter: 2 hours. He was right, too - it took exactly two hours. We had the only relatively easy stretch right when we needed it.It's just Ug and me in the shelter, as far as thru-hikers are concerned. There's some southbound section hikers and a dog completing the picture.I'm tired. Time to sleep.