morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-08-14
From: Full Goose Pond Shelter

To: Grafton Notch
Miles today: 9.7

I have heard the tales of Mahoosuc Notch for the entire trail. Many hikers say this is toughest or the most fun mile of the trail depending on how you approach it. "Bearbell", "Hawkeye", and I decided to take at least two and half hours to go through, especially since the rocks will be wet from the rain the day before. To try and describe this mile of the trail is difficult but here goes. First of all you have to put hiking poles away so you can use your hands to climb and maneuver over the rocks. There are some places that your pack and you do not fit. You have to take off your pack and pass it over. There are many places that require some courage and trust that you can leap or reach without falling. Little bit by little bit the three of us traverse this obstacle course. We have a blast enjoying the unique challenges each new rock pile creates ahead of us. "Hawkeye" and "Bearbell" start to do the male macho ego challenging stuff. I just make my own way the best I can because I do not have the upper body strength to do what they are doing. I'm amazed I didn't have any serious falls although I did scrap my legs and tripped once and landed face down and "Hawkeye" and "Bear Bell" had to help me get up. Other than that I survived and was glad to have done it with good friends. It was a fun day but this was only three miles into our day and we still have the Mahoosuc Arm to climb. We end our day stealth camping at the bottom of Grafton Notch. Tried, a little bruised, and very proud of getting through the toughest mile on the AT.
Date: 2013-08-15
From: Grafton Notch

To: Surplus Pond Road
Miles today: 12.2

Today was another great day for views and challenging climbs. The tail goes over this peak called Baldpate which seems to be a hell of a big peak. The top is basically one giant slab of granite. The wind blows pretty strong as we cross over the top. It seem as though Maine has very little wildlife. We were really hoping to see a moose but so far we have only seen a few small birds, a woodpecker, and very active squirrel. This little guy was literally running through the trees hopping from branch to branch. I was amazed at his display of agility; I was very impressed. Our destination was to get to Andover, Maine to pick up a food drop that we had sent from Gorham, New Hampshire and my new camera that I ordered because my other one finally got tired of getting wet and just quit on me. Just before we get to the road "Bearbell" made a bet with "Hawkeye". If we can get a hitch to town before he got to the road he would buy us a Ben & Jerry ice cream, if not we would buy him two pints of ice cream. Off we went just as fast as we could. Once we get to the road I have another bit of "Moxie" magic. No sooner had we got to the road a day hiker shows up and tells us he is waiting for his son to go get his car. I ask if he can give us a ride and he say, "Yes". I could not believe it, just like we had gotten a ride. The only thing was the car was not there yet and here comes "Hawkeye". So in the end we had a ride but we lost the bet. Turns out the son was a thru hiker in 2006 and was very happy to shuttle us to and from town and back to the trail. However my camera was not there. I had a confirmation delivery email from Amazon but they did not have my package. I would have to wait till tomorrow to call Amazon and figure it all out. We hike only a few more miles before we find a nice tenting spot and call it a day.
Date: 2013-08-17
From: The Cabin - South Arm Route 2

To: Dirt Road Campsite 
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Staying at hostels like The Cabin is an awesome experience. The people love hikers and we all have similar stories to share. The couple, ¢Honey¢ and ¢Bear¢, has hiked almost every mountain in Maine. Even in their older years they are still hiking and helping out the hiking community. It is such a pleasure to be in their company. They have a great picture on their war of Earl Shaffer. He was the first person to thru hike the Appalachian Trail. After a wonderful breakfast of wild blueberries, pancakes, biscuits, and all the fixins, "Honey" and "Bear" shuttle us all back up to the trail and we once again headed north without any distraction. We hike most of the day with "Hawkeye". Time goes by fast because all of us are talkers so we just chat the hours away. ¢The Train¢ is a series of descents: ups and downs. But enough ups and downs to get our attention. The views are worth the effort and with my new camera I am enjoying trying out all of the new features. The camera is waterproof and shockproof, which is good because both of those situations have happened to me on the AT. Near the end of our hike when we should be more concerned about stopping we can't resist stopping at all the blueberry bushes that are just covered by juicy and sweet blueberries. At last we get our fill and head on to the next stop for the night. We decide to stop before the river that the guide says may have to be forded. We will wait till tomorrow to complete that obstacle.
Date: 2013-08-18
From: Dirt Road Campsite 

To: Maine 4 - Rangeley Hostel - Gray Beast
Miles today: 14.2

The farther we get from New Hampshire we can feel and see the mountains getting softer even though we are hiking ups and downs all day. They are not extreme but keeps the hiking interesting. I'm pretty sure I have mentioned the origin of my trail name before but now since I have finally reached Maine I can celebrate my "Moxie" because there are so many references up here. Not only is there a soda called Moxie but there is a pond, and a bald mountain, and a shelter. Today I get to see Moxie pond. My name means determination and I have had fun with it this entire journey. It has been fun getting to Maine because so many people are connected to my name and I have to admit it seem to have brought much luck. Once again when we get to the end of the today's hike we are amazed how quickly we get a ride to town. As soon as we get to the road we see a group of hikers getting in their car. I ask if they wouldn't mind giving us a ride and they say, "Yes". They were retired people that had just started getting into hiking. They are very excited talking to us about our journey. When I introduce myself as "Moxie" they all laugh because of the Maine connection. One of the ladies even says there dog¢s name is Moxie. Tonight we stayed at an interesting place. It is a hostel that is newly in business and is not even in the AT guide. We only know about it because of the trail mail. The lady, Lorrie, is basically opening up the house she is taking care of too hikers. We really needed a place centrally located to do our resupply for the next seven days that will get us to the Hundred Mile Wilderness area. So this place works out great. We will zero here tomorrow to get all of our tasks down.
Date: 2013-08-19
From: Maine 4 - Rangeley Hostel - Gray Beast

To: Zero Day - Rangeley Maine - Gray Beast Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

A day off of hiking never turns out to be very relaxing. We spend the day planning, and shopping, and picking up and sending out our mail drops for the next three towns we will pass on the way to the Hundred Mile Wilderness. We have definitely taken advantage of the flat rate boxes at the post office. You would not believe how much we can fit into those boxes but as their slogan says, "If it fits, it ships". To save on some money "Bearbell" and I cook our own dinner at the hostel. Tonight we have pork chops and jambalaya and a great salad. If feels good to cook a meal. We enjoy talking with Lorrie through the night but 10 o'clock is about our hiker limit so we say good night and hit the sack.
Date: 2013-08-20
From: Zero Day - Rangeley Maine - Gray Beast Hostel

To:  Redington Campsite
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

"Bearbell" and I got a late start out of Rangeley because he needed to get his trekking poles replaced. It is an amazing how most of the equipment companies are very supportive if you are using their gear and you need something fixed or replaced. Basically if you are a thru hiker they what to make sure you are a satisfied customer.   After he got all that settled we had lunch at the dinner and then we had to hitch out of town. The trail is nine miles away from the town but the people in Rangeley are very hiker friendly. Getting a hitch was unbelievably easy. We waited less than two minutes and we had a ride. There was a side trail that led to a cool rock formation called "Piazza Rock". It was a huge rock that obviously fell many many years ago but the way it sits now it doesn't look like it is very stable. The next big climb for today was a 360 degree view from Saddleback Mountain. It was four miles up but it was well worth it; the views were spectacular. Once we were over the large expanse of the Saddle we had the Horn to climb. It was not bad coming up but going down was extremely steep. With the late start and the terrible terrain we both decided to cut our hike three miles short of our goal. We will have plenty of time to make them up tomorrow.
Date: 2013-08-22
From: South Branch Carrabasset River

To: Horns Pond Lean To
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

The land in Maine has a different feel than all the other forest I have been too on this journey. Maybe it is because of these great views the mountain provide. But it just seems so vast! All the climbs are very challenging even though I seem to power my way up the non-switchback trails. We come across a couple of the trail maintenance workers working on the trail today. They were young girls in Maine Conservation Corp. I tease them about building an escalator. We also talk to them about why Maine seem to have no switchbacks. The trail just goes straight up most of the time. We see quite a few weekend hikers today. It is amazing how quickly we are able to pass them. "Bearbell" and I talk about how we seem to glide over the rocks and rooty terrain without much thought. I guess two thousand miles of practice has its rewards. We are able to get in and out Stratton for our resupply just as planned. It only took a few minutes to get a hitch in and then a really nice lady named Madi, who stopped to speak with us as we eat our sandwiches outside of the grocers, offered us a ride back to the trail. This is about three o'clock and by five o'clock the rain started and we had just enough time to get our rain gear on before the downpour began. It rained for about an hour so we got pretty soaked. The trail was a good climb with lots of steep rocks to maneuver over which gets pretty tricky in the rain. When we make it to the shelter there are already many people there and we are glad to find a spot in the second lean to. There is a man named Jeff who knows "B-Rocket" from her work at Wal-Mart. He asked if I know a girl named Barbara and I say, "Yes". After a few questions we know it is the same person; what a small world.
Date: 2013-08-29
From: Wilson Valley Lean-to

To: Cloud Pond Lean To
Miles today: 8.8

Due to the lack of cell phone services this is my approximate location. I will update this day when I return from Katahdin! At Cloud Pond Lean-To.Journal Updated for this day.Day Two in the Wilderness.Woke up to rain this morning but since we only had 8.8 miles to go this means we can take our time. We stay in our tents until after eight o'clock and mess around at the shelter till around ten o'clock. The rain stops and we head out hoping to find a place to dry out our gear. It is not too long before we find a nice spot to stop that has lots of great big boulders to lay out our tents and the other wet gear. It was so nice we stayed for a couple of hours enjoying the sunshine. We finally get moving and get to the shelter around six o'clock. So far the Wilderness isn't as bad as people make it out to be. It seems more remote and a little less maintained but not completely wild. It does have a lot of great spots with ponds and streams and trees as far as the eyes can see. I haven't seen much wildlife, only a few snakes.
Date: 2013-08-30
From: Cloud Pond Lean To

To: West Branch of Pleasant River Campsite
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: light rain

Due to the lack of cell phone services this is my approximate location. I will update this day when I return from Katahdin! At West Branch of Pleasant River Campsite.Journal Updated for this day.Day Three in the Wilderness.It is beginning to feel like we are really out there. I guess because the stretch between towns on resupplies is usually three to four days. Knowing I have five more days before seeing a town or any civilization seems like a very long time. The AT does not change much in the Wilderness; it still knows how to go up and down, shows its roots and rocks, and has steep surprises at every turn. We have more water crossing here which are always fun. "Bearbell" and I have a bet; whoever falls in the water owes the other a beer. So far we zero for zero. We are pretty good at hopping on rocks. Yesterday "Bearbell" was pretty close to falling in. Even though his shoes were soaked from the rain he decides to take his boots off to cross. Because the rocks are very slippery he almost falls in with pack and all and to top it off one of his boots gets completely soaked. I laughed but he did not find it funny. Today I banged my knee on a pretty sharp rock. It felt like someone had hit my kneecap with a ball-peen hammer. It really got my attention. But I guess I just bruised it because nothing else seems to hurt. I'll will know better in the morning. We had a great treat as we walked to the last half mile of our day. Unbelievably there was a case of Moxie and a case of orange soda on the trail. Someone must have just brought them because they were still cold. I would never have thought I would get trail magic in the Wilderness and Moxie soda to boot. It was just what I needed.
Date: 2013-08-31
From: West Branch of Pleasant River Campsite

To: Logan Brook Lean to
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: broken clouds

Due to the lack of cell phone services this is my approximate location. I will update this day when I return from Katahdin! At Logan Brook Lean-to.Journal Updated for this day.Day Four in the Wilderness.Happy Birthday to me. I have had many birthdays in strange places but I will never forget this one in the middle of the Hundred Mile Wilderness. I look forward to my real celebration on top of Katahdin in four days but for now I will enjoy my "Moxie Soda" that "Bearbell" gave me this morning. He carried a sixteen ounce soda for three days to give me a birthday present in the Wilderness. You can't beat that. But celebrations don¢t last long when you have a mountain to climb. Today we climbed the last mountain, over three thousand feet, until Katahdin. It was really four separate peaks that added up to White Cap Mountain at three thousand fifty feet. Basically it was up all day. The ups were challenging and we were wet with sweat at the top of each one. But the downs were hard for me because my knee is still pretty sore after my hammering yesterday. It doesn't seem like anything is really hurt but just bruised. We had no views today as the weather was overcast all day but at least it did not rain. I got to talk to Diane and Deirdre today to finalize our reunion at Baxter State Park. I am so happy to have friends and family that are coming to see me at the end of this journey. It is going to be a great ending.
Date: 2013-09-01
From: Logan Brook Lean to

To: Antlers Campsite
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Due to the lack of cell phone services this is my approximate location. I will update this day when I return from Katahdin! At Cooper Brook Falls Lean to.Journal Updated for this day.Day Five in the Wilderness.Since our clothes were getting pretty disgusting we decided to wash them in the steam. I used the waterproof bag method that I had used at Falls Village. The only bad thing is they are sure to be wet in the morning. So when I woke I know I had to once again endure the agony of putting on cold wet clothes. But at least they were clean cold wet clothes. I must be getting tougher because it really wasn't as bad as I last remembered. I did put on my rain gear over them to create a human drying machine. It really worked; I had dry clothes in about an hour. I was just amazed by today¢s trail. One of the best I can remember on the trail so far. It was smooth, wide, and flat! Just what I needed with my knee not being one hundred percent. My knee is better so that was a close call but I was glad to have the flat terrain. Today also turned out to be great weather wise. We had blue skies and great temps in the seventies. We decided to push on and do more miles that was planned today because everything was so nice. This is good because there is rain in the forecast tomorrow. This will allows us to have a shorter day and hopefully we get the shelter before the rain. We had a nice swim in the pond tonight. The water wasn't too cold and there was very little wind. We are having to be careful with our food. I have just enough to get me through the next three days. My pack will be light but so will I.
Date: 2013-09-02
From: Cooper Brook Falls Lean to

To: Wadleigh Stream Lean to
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: light rain

Due to the lack of cell phone services this is my approximate location. I will update this day when I return from Katahdin! At Wadleigh Stream Lean to.Journal Updated for this day.Day Six in the Wilderness.As I woke this morning I could hear the water lapping up on the shore and the wind rushing over the treetops. So I knew the weather definitely shifted from yesterday¢s calm day. Because it is not raining yet we decide to wait to eat breakfast till we get to the first shelter. This was a very good thing because soon as we got there it started to rain and continued to rain the rest of the day. Our destination is to the Waldleigh Shelter even though we would be getting there around three in the afternoon. The forecast is not too bad tomorrow with only thirty percent chance of rain. Today's trail would have been gorgeous with great view of Katahdin and the lakes. Instead it was just rain, mud, and clouds for us today.
Date: 2013-09-03
From: Wadleigh Stream Lean to

To: Camping near Rainbow Lake
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: light rain

Due to the lack of cell phone services this is my approximate location. I will update this day when I return from Katahdin! Hurd Brook Lean toJournal Updated for this day.Day Seven in the Wilderness.Today was one of my toughest days on the trail. Maybe because I am really low on food because this is the longest stretch between re-supplies or the Wilderness has been a very challenging hundred miles in eight days. Probably all of these things and on top of the fact that in the last six months I have walked over two thousand one hundred and fifty miles and I'm pretty tired. I¢m getting very excited about seeing my Mom, Deirdre, and Diana at the ranger station tomorrow. The only bad thing is with today¢s short miles we will almost have eighteen miles to hike tomorrow, ugh! I hope the weather is better.
Date: 2013-04-08
From: R&R

To: Reflections
Miles today: 0.0

I am feeling very anxious being home recoverying, The knee is getting better as I can walk up and down stairs now in a normal way, no longer taking them all with my left leg. It's still stiff but getting stronger. My right foot has been swollen and I think it must have something to do with the knee injury. It is less swollen each day. My fingers and toes are feeling less numb and tingle less when I squeeze them. I think I am more anxious to get the feling back in the fingers and toes because I have never had frostbite before and I don't know how long it will take to recover. The doctor said 2-3 weeks but I can't wait that long!! The blisters are all healing nicely including the one on the outside of my little toe on my left foot. This blister was healing while I was hiking but one day I got my left foot wedged in between a rock and it rubbed directly on the blister. I thought I had been electrocuted!! Hopefully I will be healed when I get back on the trail and stay injury-free.I hope to get on th treadmill tomorrow or Friday at the latest and test my knee. I have been reading other hiker's journals and think my decision to start in Blacksburg (actually Pearisburg) is a wise decision. Heading south from Pearisburg will give me some flatter miles before I have to put more stress on my kness doing the remaining hills in NC and TN. I hope to head down South next week and start back on the trail Friday or Saturday. I will need to average about 110 miles a week for 5 weeks in order to make the scheduled vacation with my wife and our hiking friends. I figure there will be more day light hours and better weather so 15 miles a day seems very doable. I have also had time to think about what I will do differently when I get back on the trail. First of all, I will think of it more as a walk and less of a race. Reflecting back on my hike so far, I think I like hiking alone more than hiking with someone. It's nice to see people along the trail and in the shelters but I really like being alone and taking it all in. I did see some beautiful scenes during my first 3 weeks but the weather did not let me stop and take photos. I was disappointed in the number and quality of the photos I have taken. It is a beautiful trail and I am happy I saw some of it in winter like conditions, but I am looking forward to seeing it in bloom! As I was gettign off the mountain in Fontan Dam, the Lady Slippers were starting to bloom. It is the promise of more "spring life' that I am now anxious to see. I wish everyone could experience the beauty and tranquility of being alone in such a vast and open space. I'll try to capture more of this in photographs going forward. I may make a few equipment adjustments and I will definitely make some adjustments to my food supply. All in all, I feel the first three weeks were a good learning curve and once I am healthy I will be more efficient and capable of reaching my goal.Life is good! Paddyman
Date: 2013-04-18
From: Reflections

To: Blacksburg, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: mist

I left Boston this morning at 8:00 and arrived at my daughter's house around 2:30. I flew into Roanoke and got a Smart bus to Blacksburg for $4.00. It dropped me abut one mile from her house! I was a little nervous when I hoisted my backpack onto my back and started walking. I was carrying about 48 pounds and it was the first time I had put my pack on in 13 days. My knee feels better but it's not 100 percent. I was familiar with the walk as I have done it a number of times when we visit. There were a few hills and an equal number of downhills. I have to say it was easier on my knee on the uphills. Oh well, let's see what tomorrow brings.My daughter and I are going to hang out all day Friday. I need to get a few items and I want to go to the trailhead in Pearisburg so we know where it is on Saturday when I start back on the trail. I mapped out the Virginia section (southbound) from Pearisburg and hope I can get to Hot Springs, NC in 4 weeks time. I also think I might slack pack the first 10 miles on Saturday so I can get one more night here at my daughter's place. If I do, it will give my knee a test without the weight of the pack. Hopefully, everything will work out.Looking forward to some quality time with my daughter before I head back out. Read some trail journals and looks like things never really got better in the Smokies while I was recovering. Undecided where I will pick back up in late May after taking a week's "vacation" with my wife and our hiking buddies. If get to Hot Springs, NC I may just leave the Smokies until later in the summer. Anxious to see how this flip-flopping works out. Paddyman