morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-08-22
From: US 201 Caratunk ME

To: West Carry Pond Lean-To 
Miles today: 14.0

In August, the ferry for the Kennebec River does not open until 9 am, so we took our time to go. Our host at the Sterling Inn, dropped off a woman with a tiny dog at the post office and then dropped off Mike and I. We walked up to the storage shed, just as Dave as opening for business. Dave was a jovial chap. Mike sat in the front and paddled. I sat in the middle and pretended I was a prima donna.   I asked Dave if he had seen Warren Doyle. Warren and his expedition should have come through about a week ago. Dave was not a fan of Warren. Dave has rescued several people trying to ford the Kennebec, who had been told by Warren that they could ford it. Dave explained that this section has two dams controlling it. It is possible for the water to rise over five feet in the time it takes to ford it.   Spirit and Bear Bell passed us at the same time that Mike and I caught up to the woman with the little dog. I very much enjoyed talking with this woman at Pierce Pond Stream Falls. I told her my sob story of how I became retired. She got me. She had a similar situation. We came to a round log across a stream with a log railing on each side. She walked adeptly across the wet log while she held onto her little dog walking across the round railing. The dog slipped more than once but she had a firm grasp on him.We separated.      I came to a rock dam. It went along the edge of the pond. Just as I was beginning to wonder if I was actually on the trail, a northbounder appeared. I rested at the end of the dam. Here came the woman with the little dog. At the next shelter, Bear Bell and I wondered where she was. She wasn't at the shelter. I saw her pass me but I never passed her.   Mike and I spent the night at West Carry Pond Lean-To, near where Benedict Arnold had marched with his men. It was the first night in too many nights to sleep on a flat level surface.
Date: 2015-08-23
From: West Carry Pond Lean-To 

To: Safford Notch 
Miles today: 12.6

I was one of the last to leave the shelter. The people in the shelter said a man lived nearby and had brought a container of baked goods the afternoon before. I met him this morning. He was an avid hiker. He posted the next few days' weather forecast at the shelter. He had plans to hike on a trail in Switzerland with his son. On the Switzerland trail, he and his son would hike from village to village. He highly recommended it.   It was an up and down sort of day.   At the Little Bigelow Lean-To, I met an older man and his son and daughter-in-law. The original plan was for the younger couple to give support to the older man. As it turned out, this was the first time for the younger couple to be backpacking. The last three days they had hiked 5 miles a day. The younger couple was slowing up the older man. The woman said there were reports of norovirus on Avery Peak. I checked out "the Tubs". They were pretty, but too cold for me to swim.   There were beautiful views from Little Bigelow. Mike and I joined up and planned to camp at Safford Notch Campsite. At the West Carry Pond Lean-To, we had met a man from Washington DC and his son who were going to camp there. It took forever to get there and I was getting more tired by the second. I found a flat spot and setup my tarp. Mike said he couldn't camp because he needed water. I said I did not need water. I was tired and I was camping here. We both thought we were close to Safford Notch Campsite, that had water. Mike put down his pack nearby. He offered to fill my water bottles. As he left with his water bottles and mine, he let me know where his pepper spray was.   I finished setting up camp and laid down. Mike returned with our bottles. I treated mine with Aqua Mira drops.
Date: 2015-08-25
From: Mile 192.3 Spring

To: Spaulding Mountain Lean-To
Miles today: 9.4

I woke up late and tired. I had hiked almost 15 miles the day before, 2333 feet up, followed by 2944 feet down, followed by 2168 feet up. Why? I was paying for it today. Was it that I had something to prove? The younger couple I met at Little Bigelow Lean-To had taken three days to do what I did yesterday. Or was it that Stratton looked so unappealing, especially after what Bear Belle had said? Or was it ruminating about Trail Mike? Was there something about him that now I was concerned? I had camped two days in the middle of no where with him and nothing happened. Why was I concerned now?   I eventually got going. Nice views with clouds at South Crocker Mountain. From there it was a long steep boulder jumble climb down to the South Branch of the Carrabassett River. Across the river, the trail was steep and became a long steep boulder jumble climb uphill. It would be a perfect place to have a zipline from the top of the first boulder field to the top of the second boulder field. My fellow hikers agreed but I did not see anyone rigging it.   Most of the afternoon was a slow drizzle, so I did not take very many pictures. As it turned into a downpour, I arrived at Spaulding Mountain Lean-To. One man was already sleeping in his sleeping bag. The other man climbed into his sleeping bag within an hour of my arrival.
Date: 2015-08-27
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-To

To: Piazza Rock Lean-To
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: broken clouds

I woke with the decision to face my fears. I would tell Trail Mike about my concerns instead of trying to out hike him or hide.    I packed up and got water at the shelter. The shelter was indeed full. There were several tents on the way to the shelter. Trail Mike joined me while I was getting water. We chatted.   I followed him to his campsite beyond the shelter. As he packed up, I told him about my concerns. I really had not thought about what his reaction would be. He seemed shocked. He said he had been a perfect gentleman. I agreed. He said he wasn't sure he wanted to hike with someone who thought he was a creep. He said it was up to me as to whether we hiked together.   Ever since my divorce in 1994, I have questioned my judgement of people, especially men. I even told my 9 and 7 year old children, they could veto any person I was thinking of marrying because I trusted their judgement more than mine. Trail Mike was correct. He had been a perfect gentleman. I hiked better with company than without company. I rarely feel comfortable with someone being upset with me. I felt better that I had expressed my concerns, but did not feel comfortable with Trail Mike being upset with me. I am not sure upset is the correct word. Upset seems too strong. As a life long people pleaser, I am sensitive to any level of irritation.   I told Trail Mike I would like to hike with him today. He said it would be a tough day going up and over three mountains today. I said the views would make it worth it. See the pictures. Mike took pictures of me at the summits but was skittish of me taking any pictures of him. We planned to have lunch on one of the summits. When I got there, the wind was strong. My fleece jacket did not completely protect me from the wind. I continued hiking into the trees and stopped at the first level spot for lunch. Mike caught up with me and asked why I stopped there. I explained I could not bear to sit in that chilly wind. The views were spectacular.   We had dinner at Eddy Pond. It was lovely and peaceful.   It was a flat walk from Eddy Pond to Piazza Rock Lean-To. On the way, a hiker caught up with us. We offered to let him pass but he said he liked our pace.    The shelter was full when we got there. Apparently yesterday and today we were passing through the north bound hiker bubble. I tried to set up my tarp on one of the tent platforms near the stream. I am sure there is a better way. Mike set up his hammock nearby and fell into conversation with a woman who had just gotten out of the military.
Date: 2016-03-02
To: after I hiked Katahdin
Miles today: 0.0

8/29/15 I flew from Bangor Maine to Sanford Florida. Allegiant Air was cheaper this way. I was totally exhausted. As I was waiting for my pack in baggage claim, I found a corner and laid on the floor. It was flat and level, better than a lot of places I slept on the trail. My son picked me up. I told him I was afraid he would yell at me for losing so much weight. I had a foot massage in Orlando. My feet hurt so much, even the wonderful foot massage only alleviated the pain for a short time.   The next day I flew home to North Carolina, still very much exhausted. I spent the next week eating and sleeping and little else. I still did not gain much weight. After being home for two weeks, I visited my doctor. I was given an IV drip for mild dehydration and diagnosed with Giardia. So many places I could have picked it up, even though I filtered and used Aqua Mira drops on my water. It took me 40 days to recover from a 20 day hike.   So now I am planning to hike in April, May and August. I wonder if I have the stamina and motivation. My hope is that the muscle memory in my legs will take over once I get on the trail. On the other hand, I am compelled to finish the Appalachian Trail. I know it will haunt me until I finish.
Date: 2016-04-15
To: Prep for MA-CT-NY
Miles today: 0.0

In November, one of my local friends said she wanted to hike the AT with me in April. We tentatively planned for the middle of April. In March, the start date was changed to April 5. On April 2, she said she could not go. Her husband would worry too much. I was physically sick for a day and it snowed several inches in the area I wanted to hike. So I regrouped and posted on whiteblaze.com that I was looking for a hiking partner. Two people were interested. One for a couple of days and another for 5-6 days.    On Friday 4/15/16 I drove from my home in North Carolina to Newbury Inn Brookfield Connecticut, from 5:30 am to 8:30 pm. On the way, I received a voice message that the first hiking partner was not going to join me because of logistics. I drove in the following states, NC SC NC TN VA WV MD PA NJ NY CT. I was very pleased with the accommodations at Newbury Inn.
Date: 2016-04-18
From: Tom Leonard Shelter

To: The Hemlocks Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke reasonably early. Tim and I had breakfast together. Tim was out for a few days. He has hiked this area several times. He gave me a synopsis of what I was going to see as I hiked south. He warned me about Jug End, a steep rock climb and Sages Ravine will be beautiful.I took a picture at East Mountain. I walked along the fields and the Housatonic River. The boardwalk went through many false hellebore. It was a warm day. I came upon some trail magic, cool water in a cooler. It was so refreshing. I drank a quart. I passed some sheep. Tim was right. Jug End was a challenge. It reminded me of my experience in the 100 Mile Wilderness.I came to the Glen Book Shelter. It was the first map of a shelter area I had encountered. I looked at the map. I came into a pine forest. I found the bear box. I found the privy and used it. I could not find the shelter. I could not find the path/trail mentioned on the map, that went through the pine forest. I needed water. My plan was to put down my pack in the shelter and get three quarts of water, except I could not find the shelter. I became impatient. I decided to go to The Hemlocks Shelter 0.1 mile away.The Hemlocks Shelter was closer than I thought. I crossed a stream on the way to the shelter, which I found quickly. A couple was eating at the picnic table with their dog nearby. The dog was a year old and barked at me. I muttered my frustration at not being able to find the Glen Brook Shelter. They appeared to not be expecting anyone else to come to the shelter. I put down my pack. I told them I would be gone a while as I went to get three quarts of water, using Aqua Mira drops and Sawyer squeeze pouch. As I shook the bottles of the Aqua Mira drops, I questioned whether there would be enough to when I got back to my car. The Sawyer squeeze pouch had a pin prick hole in it. It still worked, but how long. When I returned the dog barked again. The woman said the dog was friendly, though she admitted he did not sound friendly. I apologized for being negative when I arrived. They left the picnic table and went to their tent downhill. I had talked to few if any people all day. These people were not eager to talk to me. I was lonely.I fixed and ate dinner. I wondered what I was going to do about possible not having a way to purify my water as I went to sleep.
Date: 2016-04-19
From: The Hemlocks Shelter

To: Riga Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

I woke reasonably early. I left before the couple were up and about. I used the privy at the Guilder Pond Picnic Area. It seemed so out of place for there to be a maintenance log in the privy. The privies in Massachusetts and Connecticut were generally clean, furnished toilet paper and plenty of duff (leaf litter) in the duff bucket. Thank you trail maintainers. There were nice views from Mt Everett and even nicer views from Mt Race. On Mt Race, I hiked along the rock ridgeline for 0.6 miles. It was windy. There I met a group of 20 high schoolers. They spread out to 4 groups of 5. The first group was moving pretty well. The last group were the girls who were amazed at the beautiful views. I sat in a nook sheltered from the wind and ate a meal. Bringing up the rear was a Maine trail maintainer. He maintains Sugarloaf Mountain. He told me Mahoosuc Notch takes four hours to go a mile. He said experienced hikers have fallen waist deep in a bog there. Oh to what I have to look forward. I was the only person as I hiked through Sages Ravine, a beautiful area with a large cascading stream. It looked like every living green thing had been trampled in this area.At Sages Ravine, I entered Connecticut. Connecticut prohibits campfires and camping is only permitted in designated sites. There had been no rain for some days. So things were dry. I stayed only at designated sites the entire trek. This was a bit of an effort in Connecticut. The shelters were not spaced according to my natural hiking distance. I met a few people who said they had stealth camped. The woods were wide open with ample places to camp. I hiked up Bear Mountain, the highest point in Connecticut. I thought, well I got that out of the way. Everything else in Connecticut should be easier. It was windy on top of the Bear Mountain tower. My cap blew off as I greeted a couple on top of the tower. The view was beautiful. I only stayed long enough to take pictures because the wind was so strong and cool. I later retrieved my cap.I came to Brassie Brook Shelter at 2 pm and used the privy. There was trash in the duff bucket. I packed out the trash, including a used feminine napkin. I filled the duff bucket and hiked on.I stopped for the night at Riga Shelter at 3:30 pm. I did not want to go further because I had a mail drop in Salisbury. It occurred to me that I was going into Salisbury for a food drop, maybe I could purchase some Aqua Mira drops, too. I looked at the Salisbury map in the AT Guide by AWOL but there was not an outfitter. I called Bearded Woods One-of-a-Kind Bunk and Dine. According to the AT Guide it was not open until May 15. Hudson answered and agreed to meet me at the post office with Aqua Mira drops and canister fuel the following day.The view from the shelter was beautiful, overlooking the valley. I was alone in the shelter. So I set up my sleeping bag where it was the most sheltered from the wind.
Date: 2016-04-21
From: Belters Campsite

To: Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke relatively early. As I was passing the tent on the way to the open air privy, I thought I should check that he was not using the privy. I said hello to Jersy. We must have talked 45 minutes before I actually moved on to the privy. He had not seen me the night before, at all. Not on top of Belters Bump or when I was scoping out the campsite and privy. Jersy section hiked the AT from 2009 to 2012, then he thru hiked it. Now he was coming close to completing another section hike of the entire AT. His wife did not like it when he was gone for six months on the thru hike. He explained to me that the attitude is different with a section hike vs a thru hike. The goal with the thru hike is Katahdin. Now that I have done Katahdin, I do not have that as a goal.I eventually got going. I saw three deer as I was on an uphill stretch. A few minutes later, I met a couple carefully making their way down hill. They had met Einstein a day or two before. They said he had gotten a tick. So watch out for ticks and Lyme disease. Later in the day, I met Tinman. I told him I had met Einstein at 2 pm the day before. Tinman asked me where. I told him before the detour. I had this feeling I was supposed to relay a message but I could not remember it. We parted company and I spent the rest of the day thinking of what I should have told him.The cracked boulder similar to Lemon Squeezer was not much of a challenge.I had asked some hikers if they were able to cross the river at Cornwall Bridge or if they needed to take the high water bypass. They said they were able to cross. I ate some snacks and drank some water before crossing. There was one questionable slippery rock but it turned out not to be slippery at all. The terrain was up and down all day. I took very few pictures. I was anxious to get to the shelter before I ran out of energy. I hiked along fields and the large river. At last I came to the Stewart Hollow Brook Shelter. A couple was at the shelter. They had hiked in that day and would be hiking out in the morning. The two of them had split a Mountain House Spaghetti and meatballs and had leftovers. For dinner, I ate a two serving dehydrated meal and added cheese. I am confident I weigh less than either of them. They giggled as they played Oh Shit.
Date: 2016-05-13
From: Roan Mountain TN

To: Elk River Campground
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was the first day of our two week trek. I met Again at a rest area near Waynesville NC, where she kissed her husband goodbye. Again and I met Tag Along near Forks of Ivy NC. Tag Along drove in her car. Again and I drove in my car. We left Tag Along's car in Damascus at the Hiker Inn. It was the Friday of Trail Days. The three of us drove to Mountain Harbour B&B Roan Mountain TN. www.appalachiantrail.org > Explore the Trail > Transportation Options > AT Shuttles > has "Trailhead parking note:DO NOT PARK overnight atUS19E/Bear Branch Rd. This locationhas a history of vandalism." So we paid $30 to park at Mountain Harbour B&B. From there we hiked 0.3 miles to the trail, where we met Firefox, Tag Along's caver friend. Firefox was waiting for a mutual caver friend of ours to take her to Trail Days in Damascus. What a small world! We started at 2 pm. It was a lovely day to hike. What a change from the first day Again and I hiked Springer in 2014 in the mist and fog. Again and I had planned to hike this section last year, but I twisted my ankle. So we got off the trail. This trek was connecting my previous treks from Springer to Roan Mountain and from Damascus to Front Royal.   We hiked to 0.1 side trail to Jones Falls. Since we were planning to stay at a campsite, not a shelter and it was close to 6 pm, we had dinner near the falls. What a lovely place for dinner, though it did get a little chilly in the ravine, the longer we stayed.   We continued hiking to the campsite. The trail was flat along the river. As we were getting close to the campsite, we met a man who had setup his tent beside the trail. He invited us to join him but we declined. We found the Elk River campsite 0.1 mile off the trail. There was plenty of garbage. I wondered if not eating where we camped was effective if other people left trash where we did camp. We arrive a little before dark. Putting up the bear bags was a challenge. Again used her bag of tent stakes as a weight to help her throw the rope. Unfortunately, the tent stakes got caught in the tree and would not come down.   We used my food bag with 5-6 food bars as a weight and finally got the rope where we wanted it. We hung Again's and Tag Along's bag and pulled it high. Then we tied a butterfly knot (an in line knot) to attach my food bag as counter balance. Then we tied off the rope to a nearby tree. My food bag was 8.8 lbs at the start. Tag Along's food bag was 2.2 lbs at the start. Again's food bag was somewhere in between. What can I say. I eat ALOT on the trail.   Again set up her tent. Tag Along set up her bivy. I set up my Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil NanoTarp-Poncho. I LOVE the weight and volume of my poncho/tarp. I set it up between two trees. It was a little too tight for my likes and a little too breezy for the cool night. It was extra long for use as a poncho and covered my back with my backpack very nicely.
Date: 2016-05-14
From: Elk River Campground

To: Moreland Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: scattered clouds

I was the first one up. I drink a lot of my water in camp. So that means I get up often in the middle of the night. I have come to the conclusion that it is not good for me to hold it all night. I am uncomfortable and do not sleep well.   I untied the rope for our bear bags from the tree. The bags stayed right where they were. Every day on the trail brings a new challenge. Apparently the bags were equally weighted. I tried pulling on the rope. No effect. Tag Along and I pulled on the rope and my bag came down. I unclipped it from the butterfly knot. The other two bags came down. One challenge met.    Again's tent stakes were still caught in the tree. Again flipped the rope multiple times with an occassional move of the tent stakes toward the ground. At last, she got the tent stakes down. Second challenge of the day met. I felt we had done our work for the day.    We visited the nearby river with small falls and had breakfast. Then we set out hiking.   It was a cool day. Perfect for hiking. The terrain had just slight ups and downs, level for the AT. We got water at Hardcore Cascades so we did not have to go a long way downhill at the shelter to get water.We ended the day at Moreland Gap Shelter.