morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-07-28
From: Rte 201 Caratunk Me

To: Moxie Bald Leanto
Miles today: 18.8

Was packed up by 8 but decided to wait for the Northern Outdoors shuttle at 9. Had a breakfast sandwich and coffee and charged my phone while waiting. We were on the trail just past 9. The weather called for rain all day starting at 10. The rain held off until noon. The trail was probably the nicest in Maine yet - gradual and on pine needles with few rocks and fewer roots. I did slip once while approaching a bog bridge. I put one foot on the bridge and slipped right off putting me on my butt in the mud. I just sat there and laughed. I got to the Pleasant Pond shelter and had lunch. After lunch it was up to Pleasant Mtn and then 9 miles in the rain to the next shelter. Ran into Sam Spade and Good Spin there and then we left for Moxie Bald Mtn and then down to the Moxie Bald Shelter/Leanto. The trail was basically a river with some areas of several inches of water that you had to walk through. The day included the first river ford as well. Since my trail runners were wet already - I just walked through the river. Kamikaze and I are here with three SOBO section hikers and 11 Canadians from a camp that are heading to Katahdin. Big storm came around 9:30 - pretty good lightning show and tons of rain. Gandalf
Date: 2014-07-29
From: Moxie Bald Leanto

To: Rt 15 Monson Me
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: scattered clouds

We woke up at 5 as the other people in the shelter were early risers. The skies had cleared after last nights storm but things were still quite wet. I put on my wet socks and put on my wet shoes and we started hiking just past 7. It didn't take long before the trail turned into a river. We were walking in about 4-5 inches of water trying hard not to lose our shoes in the suction of the mud. Our first river crossing was in two miles and since we were already wet - we just left our shoes on and walked through the river. There were two more fords that needed to be done and we did the same thing. These fords had ropes across the river so that you could hang on to something as the water was above my knees. The rest of the day was same - water, mud, roots and rocks. We got to Rt 15 by 3:30 and called for a shuttle to Monson. Went to dinner with Geared Up, Reroute, Kamikaze and Trademark Gandalf
Date: 2014-07-30
From: Rt 15 Monson Me

To: Rt 15 Monson Me
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

A nice nights sleep followed by a zero day. Had the breakfast at Shaws but I wasn't impressed. Spent the morning trying to secure a boat ride to Island 19B on Moosehead Lake which didn't pan out. Got to see Bangarane, Radioman and Blitz and congratulated them on their summit of Kathadin. Had lunch at the Lakeshore House and met up with the other hikers that came into town today. Saw Thin Mint, Facts, Bagels, Two forks, Mary Poppins, Beandip and Diesel. Had a pizza and more ice cream for desert. Heading out to the island tomorrow for a couple days before we start the last 114 miles to Katahdin. Gandalf
Date: 2014-07-31
From: Rt 15 Monson Me

To: Rt 15 Monson Me
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Was up and showered before 8. Headed to Robinson's for a breakfast sandwich and by the time I got back to the hostel Jackie had shown up to take us up to Moosehead Lake. We stopped by Indian Hill to get our resupply and then headed out to the island. We eventually went back in town by boat to have lunch and get ice. By the time we were heading back to the island it looked like rain approaching so we postponed the 'tour' of the lake until tomorrow. Jackie made us a great spaghetti and clams along with asparagus. Jackie had also made a carrot cake to celebrate our hike. All is good. One more day of rest before we start the final leg of this journey. Gandalf.
Date: 2014-08-01
From: Rt 15 Monson Me

To: Rt 15 Monson Me
Miles today: 0.0

As we get ready to start the final leg of the Appalachian Trail I wanted to provide a fundraising update. I dedicated my hike to Paula Guerin who lost her battle with Multiple Myeloma three years ago. At this point I am at 77% of my goal of $10K for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. To all that have donated - thank you. Your donation will play a part in the research and hopefully a cure to this disease. To those that would like to donate - please click on this link (http://www.tinyurl.com/MMRFsaint). We have hiked over 2000 miles and our plan is to start the 100 Mile Wilderness tomorrow and summit Katahdin on 8/9. It has been an amazing journey and I'm sure it will be bittersweet when we complete it. Gandalf
Date: 2014-08-02
From: Rt 15 Monson Me

To: Long Pond Stream Shelter
Miles today: 15.1

We were all up at six and on the boat at 7 to go to the trailhead. We stopped at Indian Hill as The GOAT needed to resupply (he arrived yesterday afternoon) and Jackie needed a few things for the camp. We headed to Shaws in Monson as GOAT was looking for a package. Ran into Survivor Man at Shaws - first time I have seen him since MD. From there we went to Lakeshore - as no package was at Shaws. While at Lakeshore we ran into Simba, Napolean, Trillium, Figgy and Raven. Without a package we headed up to the trailhead and was on the trail by 9. The trail didn't have much elevation gain or loss but did have plenty of wet roots and rocks. We also had three river crossings which required the removal of shoes - but they were not as deep or as wide as the ones we had done coming into Monson. We ran into Survivor Man at one of the river crossings and he joined us for the remainder of the day. Here at the campsite with quite a few thru hikers - Flex, Kamikaze, Napolean, Noodle, Goliath, Tree, Moaglie, Happy, GOAT and Survivor Man. Not sure if I'm missing any. . I feel like I'm writing a book and all the characters are showing up for the last chapter. The weather was mostly cloudy all day and then got mostly sunny I. The late afternoon - a bit humid in the morning and drier in the afternoon. Great news - less than 100 miles to KatahdinGandalf
Date: 2014-08-03
From: Long Pond Stream Shelter

To: KI Rd / Gulf Hagas
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: overcast clouds

On the trail by 8 and headed up to Barren Ledges and then up to Barren Mn. On top of Barren Mt were four flip-floppers. Squirrel and Tree Frog I met in Front Royal and Cheeseburger and Baggie made S'mores for The GOAT and I at The Priest in Va (more characters are coming back for the last chapter). We had a few more mountains to climb - Fourth, Third 1/2, Columbus and Chairback. We took a break on top of Columbus and filled up on blueberries. We got to KI Rd a little past six and setup camp along the river. Here tenting with Survivor Man, Kamikaze, The GOAT and Jeremy a former they hiker. We had dinner and a few laughs and were in our tents before 8:30. We are at mile 2100.6 - less than 85 to go The weather was partly sunny and on the humid side. Gandalf.
Date: 2014-08-04
From: KI Rd / Gulf Hagas

To: East Branch Leanto
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Was up before 6 and out by 7. First thing on the agenda was a ford of the West Branch of the Pleasant River. Once we got that done it was time to do some climbing. The first peak was Gulf Hagas Mtn, then West, Hayes and White Cap peaks - the last 3K foot peak until Katahdin. The GOAT and I stopped on top of Whitecap for lunch and then we headed down to Logan Brook Leanto to get some water. We met up Kamikaze and he was heading on to Cooper Brook - the GOAT and I decided to hike another 4 miles to East Branch Leanto and camp there. On the way the skies opened up and we got drenched. That made our decision to stay at East Branch that much easier. Here with Beandip (who was sick today), Survivor Man and The GOAT (who isn't feeling well either). The Canadian group that we met at Moxie Bald Shelter is also here. Gandalf
Date: 2014-08-05
From: East Branch Leanto

To: Potaywadjo Spring Leanto
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: scattered clouds

We were up around 6:30 and on the trail by 7:30. Beandip headed back to the KI Rd as she wasn't feeling well. The trail today was probably the best in Maine. No elevation gain or loss and with mostly a pine needle path. We cruised in some areas at better than 3 mph. We stopped at Cooper Brook for a snack and ran into Survivor Man and Simba. We left there and hiked another 7 miles to Antler Campsite and had lunch. We met up with Survivor Man and he hiked with Goat and me for the remainder of the day. We stopped at a sandy beach on Jo Mary Lake where we saw some bikini clad women last year - but none were there this year. From the beach it was only 1.8 miles to the shelter.   Here tenting with The GOAT and Survivor Man and a few Canadian women and one SOBO. The weather was warm with mostly sunny skies today. Gandalf
Date: 2014-08-06
From: Potaywadjo Spring Leanto

To: Rainbow Stream Leanto
Miles today: 18.2

Ugh - what a day. It rained hard pretty much all night but had stopped in the morning. I had come down with something - I assume it was the 24 hour bug that was going through the 100 Mile Wilderness. I knew that Beandip, Happy, Tree, Jeremy and the GOAT had all gotten it. We were n he trail by 8 and it was fairly flat terrain with some bog bridges thrown in for excitement.We stopped at Nesbunt Lake for lunch - I ate crackers. After lunch we had a pretty good up which included many rock stairs. We made it to the shelter before 6 and I setup my tent and was in my sleeping bag by 6:15. Exhausting day - but still hiked 18 miles. Met up with Marshmellow who I hadn't seen since the Northern Smokies. The weather was overcast most of the day but cleared in the afternoonHere with Survivor Man and The GOATGandalf
Date: 2014-08-07
From: Rainbow Stream Leanto

To: Abol Pines Campground
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

Was up around 6 and felt much better. We were on the trail by 7:30 and had a nice hike to Abol Bridge. The terrain was good with a few muddy spots. Met up with Dinosaur on the trail. We stopped at Rainbow Ledges to get enough blueberries to hold us over to lunch. From there it was down to Hurd Brook Shelter at about 3 mph. Got to Abol Store for lunch - steak, fries, cole slaw and a beer (or two). Met up with Dinosaur, Lady moose, DaVinci, Beandip, Marshmellow, Simba and Kamikaze. After lunch we walked across the street and setup in a Leanto. Here with Survivor Man and The GOAT. 15.1 miles to go. Gandalf
Date: 2014-08-08
From: Abol Pines Campground

To: The Birches
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Took our time getting going this morning - as we only had 9.6 miles to go. We had breakfast and packed up and was on the trail by 9:30. We hiked on fairly flat terrain and stopped at Big Niagra Falls for an hour break with Lady Moose, DaVinci, Dinosaur, Beandip and Tinzing. After DaVinci washed Survivor Man's hair we headed out for the last 3.5 miles to the Katahdin Stream Campground. We got here just as it started to rain. We checked into the Ranger station and I was hiker #161 this year. We went back to the day hiker pavilion and saw Napolean and Goliath as well as Moose, DaVinci, Dinosaur, Beandip, Tingzing, Figgy and Dune. My brother Dennis showed up and had beer and some snacks for us. We said good night to all and headed up to The Birches shelter and within minutes a car showed up and Dan and Liz showed up to cook us all chicken and salad. It was fantastic. Can't believe this is the last night on the trail. Tomorrow we summit Katahdin Gandalf
Date: 2014-08-09
From: The Birches

To: Katahdin
Miles today: 5.6
Weather: clear sky

Tough sleeping with the anticipation. I heard Kamikaze get up at 2 and leave. I was up and packing up around 5 and The Goat and I headed down to the trailhead to wait for my brother Dennis and friends (Bob, Jeff, Tara and Jared) to arrive by car. We started up the mountain at 7:30. It is a steep hike up to the top and there were quite a few day hikers as it was a. beautiful day. When we reached the Tablelands we ran into Lady Moose, DaVinci, Beandip, Dinosaur, Survivor Man and Dune coming down. It was too cold on too for them to wait - so we got a group photo on the trail. Almost at the summit we ran into Fresh and Stretch who were basically running to catch up with us - I had last seen the both of them in Ma and had spent quite a bit of time hiking with them from NC north. The four of us hiked the last 1/2 mile together and summitted. It was incredible. We stayed at the summit for about an hour and waited for Flex to summit and to do all the photos and then headed back down the mountain. We headed back to Bob & Jackie's island on Moosehead Lake to celebrate. Great food, friends and drink. Here with Stretch, Fresh, Kamikaze, The Goat - and family and friends. Hard to believe its over. Gandalf
Date: 2014-08-15
To: Thru and Through
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I am humbled by the outpouring of messages that I have received since completing the AT. The hike was a labor of love for a dear friend whose time on earth was way too short. I am probably more excited that my goal of raising money and awareness for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation will be met than I was about summiting Katahdin. I thank all of those who donated to this worthy charity.I would like to thank the people who made this possible and so much fun My sister Elena who handled all my financial affairs while I was gone.Bob & Jackie Heger who drove to Damascus Va, Dalton Ma and Monson Me to 'trail magic' whoever I was hiking with at the time and threw the best welcome home party a hiker would ever want. All the trail angels that provided the trail magic along the ~2200 milesAnd my trail family - I'm going to miss you idiots. Thanks again for making a journey of a lifetime just downright incredible. Thanks for coming along on my journey. Time for a road trip. Gandalf
Date: 2014-07-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I am calling this adventure "Dale's senior project continued (from the beginning). Last October I turned 60 so last summer I did a "senior" project similar to what my students are required to do. My first goal was to hike about 230 miles on the Appalachian Trail (AT). Doing 2 weeks in the summer and returning for a week on the fall I got in 200 miles...goal not reached. My second goal was to raise $1000 for Campus Life by shamelessly taking pledges from friends and relatives. I actually raised about $2400 .... Goal accomplished! And I got hooked on the AT. I've read books by different through hikers and I've followed other peoples blogs on Trailjournals,com. Now I find myself back on the trail. This time I am starting at Springer Mountain, GA, the beginning of the trail in the south. I hope to record my thoughts in this journal - mostly because it adds to the experience for me. If no one reads it, I am okay with that because it will have helped me process the experience and years from now when my memory starts to go, I can go back and relive my own adventure for the first time. In fact last year I convinced myself that no one would ever read my journal ... and I was fine with that . I pretended I was writing to myself and sending them out to some digital nebula. When people said they had read it, I felt a bit like my privacy had been invaded. When they said they enjoyed it, I felt kind of good, even if they were just being polite. So go ahead and invade my privacy.
Date: 2014-07-04
From: Columbus, IN

To: Springer Mountain, GA
Miles today: 0.0

I don't know why we do thus, but whenever we are leaving town we get everything fixed and clean at home before we leave. When we finally leave, we are exhausted and the house is in better shape than it has been in weeks. I have this secret desire to plan a vacation, get all ready to go, and then decide to stay home and call it a vacation. The house is clean, the laundry is done,and we could spend the next week eating out in town, acting like tourists in Columbus and Brown County and going to concerts at the IU summer music festival that we always think about attending. Well this is not the year for that, this is the year to hike another 200 miles on the AT. We got in the car and headed south about 5 hours behind schedule. We intended to drive to Springer Mountain, GA. We almost made it to Chattanooga. But we were on our way and the adventure was about to begin. My wife was planning to drop me off on the top of Springer Mountain and drive on to Florida to visit her brother and sister. She thought I was nuts for wanting to do this, but she was very accommodating. I hadn't done any training hikes for the last three weeks. I had still been running about 2 miles a day, but most of the last few weeks were spent removing 2 tons of dirt, hauling in 5 tons if gravel, 3 tons of sand, 5 tons of rocks, and laying countless bricks for a walk and patio on the side and back of out house. I am hoping that will make my pack feel light in comparison. My pack weighed in at 32 pounds with water. I was hoping for under 30. I thought about eating some of the food before I go , but that seemed counterproductive.
Date: 2014-07-05
From: Springer Mountain, GA

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: clear sky

It was afternoon before we made it to the top of Springer Mountain by car. The last 6,5 miles is on a forest road that was about ten miles per hour. We were glad to have a Subaru. The parking area is one mile north of the start of the trail at the top of Springer Mountain. That means you either skip the first mile or hike it twice. There is another option: there is an 8 mile approach trail from Amicalola State Park. That's an extra 8 mile climb so I was glad my wife was willing to drive to the parking area. Then she walked with me to the top of Springer and back to the parking area. That meant two things: I got to leave my 32 pound pack in the car for the first mile and (certainly more importantly) I got to spend more time with my wife before taking off on my hike. The trail to Springer was covered with small pieces of what looked luke pyrite and flakes of mica. It glistened in the sun. I wondered why, in all the books and journals from thru-hikers that I had read, no one ever mentioned how the beginning of the trail sparkles. Maybe because in March, when most thru-hikers leave Springer, the trail is covered with snow or mud. But on a sunny day in July it glitters. My wife said it was fairy dust and I think our granddaughters would agree with her. She said to be careful not to fall on it or I would turn into some sort of magical creature . Experience tells me that if I fell on it, I would turn into a hiker with two black eyes.Because of my late start, I figured I would have to hike until about 7:00 to get to the shelter. By 6:00 I was worn out. Then I remembered one of the top five reasons for hiking the AT: you can eat a Snickers bar every day and not gain weight. With the Snickers bar boost I sailed on to the shelter and my first night in my tent. 8.1 miles completed, (actually 9.1 counting the first mile twice, but I don't think you get to count that according to AT mileage rules) 196.7 miles to go.
Date: 2014-07-09
From: Blue Mountain Shelter

To: Unicoi Gap, Hiawassee, GA
Miles today: 2.4
Weather: light rain

Today was a short day. Just 2.4 miles into Hiawassee GA for a day off the trail. Actually 2.4 miles to Unicoi Gap and then 10 miles down into town. I had a number for a shuttle, but I thought I'd hitch a ride instead. I was just about to give up when a white pickup pulled over. The driver rolled down the window and said, "If you ride up here the dog will bite, but you can ride on the back." That would be the boxer sitting in the passenger seat who had his head squeezed through the partially opened window and was growling and barking at me. "The back will be great!" I said, stepping away from the door and hoisting my pack into the back. I sat an the floor of the pick up bed leaning against the built on tool box. As we started down the mountain I wedged an arm against each if the wheel wells. It was as "exciting" as anything I've been on its King's Island without doing 360 degree loops. The signs said 35 and 45 but we were heading down theory rain at about 60. When the truck hit high speed, the dog finally put his head back inside the cab. If he was still barking, I couldn't hear it over the sound of the rushing wind. To add to the experience, the drive didn't let anything like solid yellow lines impede his need to bank on the inside of a curve. We made it to town in no time flat and he dropped me off right at my hotel / the Budget Inn $39.99 hiker special. I spent the rest of the day catching up on email, writing journals, washing smelly clothes, and eating barbecue at the Georgia Mountain Diner.
Date: 2014-07-11
From: Dick 's Creek Gap, Hiawassee, GA

To: Standing Indian Mounntain
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: clear sky

At 5:45 I bolted from a deep sleep with the thought, "Where are my hiking poles?" When I had organized my pack last night and I always attach my poles so I don't forget them. I did not remember seeing the poles. I got up, turned on the light, and searched the room. No poles! Then it dawned on me...I left them leaning outside the door at the Buckhead House, the outfitter store. I knew I wouldn't get back to sleep without knowing if they were there. If I lost a $100 pair of hiking poles to purchase a $5 bandana ... Well, I don't think I could handle it. I got up, got dressed, and before heading out the door I write a note to the shopkeeper. I thought she might have seen them and licked them inside the store. If she did, there would be a note with my phone number. I walked the half-mile to the store and they were not leaning where I had left them. I opened the door to leave the note, hoping that meant she locked them in the store, and there, between the storm door and the I sudd door were my hiking poles. Later on the trail when I could get a signal and the store was open, I called Zp, the owner, and thanked her . She said she was going to lock them inside and thought I might be by early looking for them. She knows how to take care of hikers.My goal for the day was Standing Indian Shelter. I got there about 5:30 and about 5 minutes before a torrential rain. It was a depressing shelter. There were several dead or fallen trees around it, it was surrounded by mud, there were no decent tent sites, all a bit depressing, but it was dry. I unpacked my stuff and fixed supper. I thought maybe I would wait and if no one else showed up, I could set up my tent in the shelter. While I are my supper, two mice came out on the rafters above and watched me eat. The I felt bugs on my ankles and looked down and saw FLEAS! That was it ... I was not going to sleep with mice AND fleas! I finished supper, the rain stopped, I packed my bag, the sky cleared, and I headed up the mountain to look for a camp site.By. 7:30 I reached the summit. I stepped out of the dark woods onto the summit and the sky was blue. It was glorious with unbelievable views and a perfect grassy spot for a tent. I set up my tent, hung my food bag from a tree and watched the sunset from the top if Standing Indian Mountain, 5500 feet.