morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-09-20
From: Leeman Brook lean-to

To: Cloud Pond lean-to
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: overcast clouds

A long day to try to make up for the short day yesterday.The trail seemed more difficult than I remembered, altho some of it was not very rocky. I spent most of the day walking thru beech-maple forest with some oaks, &c. There were 3 major fords, all of which needed to be waded. Two of them had ropes tied across to give a hiker some support while sliding around on the slippery rocks. The one at Big Wilson was too high, & both had the problem that usually the best way to ford a stream is not to try to stick to a straight line all the way across. So I made it across each, with my feet wet. Mentally, I don't like that idea, but often it is more dangerous (& more time consuming) to try to devise ways to get across dry than to just step in and do it. I also noticed that my feet actually like the cool water, even if wet socks can cause some discomfort later. I also crossed the only operating railroad that crosses the AT in Maine. I didn't see any trains, but I heard them several times during the day.I stopped at Wilson Valley & Long Pond Stream lean-tos for meal breaks (getting annoyed that the shelters in the "wilderness" mostly don't have current registers to sign in). I met a number of SOBO section hikers, some of whom commented on how hard it was coming down the cliffs from Barren Mtn. Honeysuckle & Gravy passed me a couple of times (They take more rest breaks than I), & the last time it appeared they were going to camp along Long Pond Stream.I continued on up the cliffs after supper, thinking I'd be up there before sunset & have a view. As happens many times these days, even when I feel I'm going fast, I'm not getting more than 1.2 mph. Anyway, it was dark & misty when I got to the viewpoints, and the rest of the mtn has no views at all. In fact the trees are so thick & the ground so uneven I couldn't find any likely places to camp. So I continued on to my original destination, arriving at Cloud Pond lean-to after 10:30. There were a lot of hikers camped around the area, but only one in the shelter, who had just arrived an hour or so earlier. That made it possible for me to find space in the shelter without disturbing anyone's sleep. It was fairly cold up there during the night. After a while, there was a nice full moon, giving "the luster of mid-day to objects below." I started in March with a full moon, so I was hoping to have a full moon to finish in September; but obviously that won't happen. It's nice to have all that light when I have to get up in the night.
Date: 2013-09-21
From: Cloud Pond lean-to

To: 2 Miles before KIW Road
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: light rain

I awoke to find that I was sharing a shelter with a flip-flopper named Hardtack. I got up late & then spent a lot of time talking with him about the Battle of Gettysburg & other historical matters. That meant I didn't get started till 9:00 (shelter is 0.4 mi. off the Trail), pretty much squandering whatever I had gained by hiking so long yesterday. If I could pick up about a half day in the 100-mile wilderness, I could summit on Friday, the 27th; but that just doesn't seem to be happening. I wasn't thinking 2 days ago when Susan suggested slack-packing the 6 miles from Shirley-Blanchard Road to Rt 15. Even tho I didn't want to do that, I could have lightened my load by having her bring most of my food out to Rt 15. That way I could probably have done that 6 miles fast enough to make it to the Wilson Valley lean-to that first day. From there, it would likely have been possible to move everything else up one day. However, then Susan wouldn't have been able to surprise me & to have her own adventure in the wilderness. Trade-offs!After the typical rock climbing to get up Fourth & Third Mtns, the Trail gets to Columbus Mtn mostly straight up on dirt/root trail -- not so many rocks or ups & downs. There are a few good viewpoints on these mtns. From there it's not hard to get up Chairback Mtn, tho going down has some tricky rocks.At Chairback Gap lean-to, I met All-Night-Log, who started in May; going for 25 miles today. The woman with him didn't speak to me or give her name, but others told me she was his mother. I'm feeling disappointed that I didn't cover more miles today. Sometimes I felt I was actually going quite fast, & it turned out I wasn't. Other times it was the opposite. I keep making comparisons with how Mark & I did it nine years ago. The rocks going down Chairback Mtn seemed easier, yet the total distance between the shelter & the river got a lot longer. When I could see I wasn't going to make it even to the river before dark, I just found a place to camp along the Trail -- I'll see how tomorrow goes. If Mark told his friends that his 63-year-old dad "ran him into the ground", it's clear that his 72-year-old dad would not have. It was bright & sunny all day: lots of good views. Very bright moon last night -- didn't need a flashlight to get up in the night. I don't see it tonight. Not supposed to rain till late morning, yet it sounds like a very fine rain starting tonight. Very peculiar wind this evening: blows hard about every 5-10 minutes, then nothing till the next time. As long as it doesn't bring rain before I get out in the morning, I guess it's OK.
Date: 2013-09-22
From: 2 Miles before K-I road

To: Logan Brook lean-to
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: light rain

That soft rain that started around 8:00 last night continued off & on till just before I was ready to pack up the tent this morning. Then it started pouring! I'm not crazy about carrying a wet tent; starting out in poncho made sense for the whole morning. Fording the West Branch Pleasant River was uneventful ¢ my feet are getting to like the cold water. By the time I got up to Carl Newhall lean-to (everybody's goal yesterday, but no one made it) there was quite a crowd there, trying to dry things out over a fire. Several decided to stay there, even tho it was early afternoon. I ate a quick meal & moved on. Seeing some sunshine, they suggested I'd have some great views from the coming mtns, not thinking about how conditions might change. I got a brief view of Katahdin from Gulf Hagas Mtn, the next two were covered with trees ¢ summiting Whitecap just before sunset might have been nice, but it was all fogged in, with a wickedly cold wind that followed me all down the Mtn. So close, yet so far away! Having done the last 3000-footers before Katahdin, it's easy to think I'm almost there; but as Susan reminded me, I have 70 miles to go.The last time I went by Logan Brook lean-to, there was a trail crew working in the area. Now there are a LOT of stone steps between there and Whitcap Mtn. That made it a little easier coming down in the dark, but the wind was still nasty.At the lean-to were All Night Log & Just Mom, so I got to talk with them a bit more. He's 14 years old, & his mother has accompanied him all this way, starting in May & doing some high mileage days. Altho they hadn't made the 24 miles they had hoped for yesterday, they were planning 25 for tomorrow to get them to Whitehouse Landing to meet his dad. I guess they hope to summit on Thursday.
Date: 2013-09-23
From: Logan Brook lean-to

To: Mile before Jo-Mary Road
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Another cold morning. Wind continued all day, blowing noisy waves crashing on the shore of Crawford Pond as I passed in mid-afternoon. Susan has heard that there are 300 hikers currently in the 100-mile wilderness. That's 3 per mile! I didn't see any in my whole day of hiking. Two left the shelter before I did, & I saw Crowd Control (4) at Cooper Brook Falls lean-to near the end of the day. I'm sure there are a bunch ahead of me, & there may well be a bunch behind as well. After seeing individual hikers many times over many miles, it seems strange to know that we won't finish together unless we happen to get to Mt. Katahdin on the same day. Having tried several times to speed up thru this section, without any luck, it looks like I'll be summitting Saturday, the 28th. This afternoon, I was able to pick up a food drop (the LAST one!), adding weight to my pack but also letting me get rid of a few things too. After that, hiking suddenly got a lot easier. Yes the Trail got smoother, but that doesn't explain it all. I also got new socks, rearranged my insoles, & got rid of the lid for my pack. I think each of those played a part. I was able to lengthen my stride, which means I could bend my knees more, which means not hitting the ground so hard with my feet. Even tho it was heavier, the pack FELT better. The lid seems to provide extra space, but it's not convenient to use (zipper on the wrong side) & seems to unbalance the whole thing. Anyway, the next couple if miles I went 2.4 mph, a speed I haven't attained lately. The most difficult piece of Trail today was a relocation on Little Boardman Mtn, necessitated by a new survey showing that the Trail was on someone else's property. New Trail seems almost always to be rougher than old. The "Crowd Control" family at Cooper Brook Falls gave me a big apple & told me where to find more at the Jo-Mary Road crossing. They said they'd gotten them from a local farm.As it got dark, I found a place near the Trail to camp.
Date: 2013-09-24
From: Mile before Jo-Mary Road

To: Mahar Tote Road ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ Whitehouse Landing
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: clear sky

Whitehouse Landing is an old-time fishing camp now catering to hikers. You have to get to their dock, 1.2 miles off the AT, blow an air horn, & wait for them to come & pick you up in a boat. Last time I was here, I got there at 5:05 & was told we were too late for supper; so this time I wanted to be earlier. What sounded like a short day still ended up taking me most of the day ¢ I got to the dock about 4:20.As promised, there was a bag of apples for hikers just before Jo-Mary Road. I took a couple, saving one for Mt. Katahdin. Thanks!At Antlers campsite, a pretty place along Lower Jo-Mary Lake, I stopped to eat & was passed by Ursa Major & her dog, Ursa Minor. Still no crowd of thru-hikers. My GPS app was off on the location of Mahar Tote Road, the turn-off to the Whitehouse Landing trail ¢ it's the 3rd road North of Potaywadjo Spring lean-to, not the first. I went half a mile out of my way finding that out.I had to wait on the dock more than 20 minutes before Bill came across Pemadumcook Lake to get me. It turned out that I was the only guest tonight, so they put me up in a private cabin rather than the bunkhouse, because they didn't want to have to fire up the wood stove to heat it. I got a shower & then a one-pound hamburger for supper. They don't have electric outlets in the camp ¢ everything runs off propane ¢ but Linda was kind enough to take my phone to recharge at their house which has solar & wind power. First I got to call Susan & update her on my progress; however, getting recharged meant I couldn't work on this journal that night. And gas light isn't easy to read by when you are tired. So I went to bed early. Nice quiet place.It's all for sale too. After 22 years of living here 6 months & in Florida 6 months, & being "on-call" all the time with that air horn, Bill & Linda want to retire from this & get some school stability for their teen-age son. They are definitely counting the days till 15 October.
Date: 2013-09-25
From: Mahar Tote Road ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ Whitehouse Landing

To: Rainbow Stream lean-to
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: clear sky

Breakfast was served at 7:30 sharp, by which time I was up & almost packed. There were 3 eggs, 3 pieces of bacon, juice, & English muffin, then as many pancakes as I thought I could eat. Ten worked out well.The boat ride across the lake got me back on the Trail before 9:00. This is a pretty flat area, but that doesn't mean the Trail is smooth! I'm getting so I don't mind the roots & mud so much, yet they do slow me down. The Trail follows Nahmakanta (locals accent the 2d syllable) Lake for a while ¢ a pretty lake with more than one good place for swimming. Funny thing about swimming in Maine: When the air is warm enough, the water is usually still quite cold ¢ now the water is actually pretty warm, but the air isn't (nice weather for hiking, tho). I didn't feel I had time anyway [& I shouldn't even mention leeches]. Maybe some other hike.I saw Grey Wolf & Red Tail early in the day, & the Ursas passed me as I was packing up from lunch. Otherwise the Trail seems pretty empty; everyone is either a day ahead of me or a day behind. I wanted a longer day today so that tomorrow would be shorter, but this time of year it gets dark so early I was walking in the dark more than I like. I did get some brief views of Mt. Katahdin from Nesuntabunt Mtn (only 1500 feet elevation, but very steep) while there was still light. The Trail has been pretty well-marked in Maine, but in the dark the area along Pollywog Stream and Rainbow Stream was pretty murky. After appearing to ford Pollywog [which I love to do in the dark], the Trail actually crossed it on a road bridge & then left the hiker to find out where it went next. I couldn't see much with my flashlight, but both streams sounded like they had a lot of pretty waterfalls. Rainbow goes thru rock chutes for some distance, making lots of noise. I guess that's part of what I miss out on by hiking so late. And I get plenty tired besides.I got to Rainbow Stream lean-to a little after 9:00. It looked pretty full. Tho Red Tail had tried to save enough space that I could have squeezed in, I decided to camp up the hill. That way I wouldn't disturb the others with my setting up and cooking supper. The "Thru-Hikers' Companion" says "Good tenting & hammocking above & behind the lean-to" ¢ the best I could find for my last night of tenting was a space with a lot more slope than I usually choose. In the dark, that's all I could find. One thing about getting up multiple times during the night is that each of those times offers an opportunity to push my sleeping bag & air mattress back up the hill! At least, it wasn't a rainy night.I've decided that instead of going 11 miles to Hurd Brook lean-to tomorrow [& then 14 from there to Katahdin Stream], I'll try to go all the way to Abol Bridge, leaving less than 10 for the day before I summit Katahdin. Not only will that allow me some rest before the ascent; I'll also be able to congratulate some of the people coming down.
Date: 2013-09-26
From: Rainbow Stream lean-to

To: Abol Bridge ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ Abol Pines campsite
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: broken clouds

26 Sep. Still no total view of Katahdin. The Trail follows the shore of Rainbow Lake for about 5 miles, from exit to inlet. At the South end, I got a little better view of the Mtn, but the clouds wouldn't disclose the top. Beyond the North end, there is a higher area called Rainbow Ledges. At one point up there, I got another view of the Mtn, still hidden in clouds. The ledges aren't all that high, but they are solid rock, with relatively little soil, so they have a lot of alpine vegetation, including alpine cranberries & high-bush blueberries. I ate a few but didn't really want to slow down at that point. A few animal stories:I looked carefully all along Rainbow Lake because 9 years ago I had seen moose there, but no luck this time. In one area of woods, Squirrels kept dropping cones from the fir trees, then making noises at me, as if to say "Those are mine -- leave them alone!"I heard loons with their haunting call. Then I heard a nearby loon sounding very upset ¢ I imagined scolding a predator trying to raid her nest. That went on for some time; then after some silence I heard the normal loon cry & a response from across the lake.I saw two squirrels chasing each other, perhaps in courtship. When they saw me, one ran up a tree. The other also ran up but first had to scold me, as if to say to his girl friend: "See, I can handle this situation!" In the South the soft trails are due to leaf mould, especially from oaks & maples. There aren't so many broadleaf trees in the North, so the soil is pretty thin, & rocks & roots dominate the trail. Hemlocks are the big trees here, but their needles are so small they don't build up the Trail very much. Fir & spruce aren't much better. For soft trail in the North you need pines ¢ their long needles do make a softer Trail, such as I was enjoying part of today. I'm still not seeing many other hikers, besides Grey Wolf & Red Tail. I did meet a flip-flopper named Fifer, who does play the fife, but not in a fife-&-drum corps.As I got to Hurd Brook lean-to, I was passed by Corn Flake & Skeeter-Feeder, whom I had never met before. Altho I had planned to cook supper at the shelter, she told me the store closes at 7:00 & has a good deli. I decided to go on & did the next 3.5 miles in less than 2 hours. What a difference motivation & some nice trail makes!When I got to the bridge, I found Skeeter-Feeder & Corn Flake receiving trail magic from Backtrack (2012) & Little Debbie. I joined them in having hot dogs, chips, Pepsi, cookies, & an apple. Thanks!It turned out that the store doesn't close till 8:00 & they've added a restaurant. I had a Greek salad, cider, & ice cream to supplement what I had just eaten. The store was out of many items because they will be closing for the season very soon. In total darkness, I then located the camping area across the road & stayed in a shelter with Grey Wolf & Red Tail.
Date: 2013-09-29
From: Baxter Peak ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ Northern Terminus of AT

To: Heading for home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

After coming down the Mtn. yesterday, I turned in my daypack & met up with Susan.Before leaving the park, tho, I wanted to seek out & congratulate other hikers who would be summitting the next day.I saw a campsite one had rented at Katahdin Stream campground. Before the evening was over, it looked like a dozen tents set up on that site, mostly thru-hikers I'd never met, tho they must have been just behind me, at least the last week. I saw Star Fail walking thru the campground & stopped to talk with her. I'd met her near Damascus, then not till a couple of places in Maine. I'd also met her dad at Abol Bridge; he was quite proud that she'd be the 4th member of the family to complete the AT. Then I went back up to The Birches, where another group was gathered around a campfire. It's amazing how many people are finishing about the same time as I, yet I've never seen them. I did see Goldilocks (from PA & NJ) getting her hair braided by Giggles.Later, we went out to eat at the AT Inn & saw Grey Beard & Red Tail; also Ursa Major & her parents. We all had a good time together. I had heard that Zen Master, Canadian Bacon, 2-Socks, & Trouble were in town waiting to summit tomorrow, but I didn't see them.Next morning, we ate breakfast at the same restaurant [much more crowded] & saw Grey Beard & Red Tail with Simple & Bear Foot (who had been injured quite near the top of Katahdin yesterday & climbed all the way back down without summiting). We had hoped to go to church at the Episcopal church around the corner, but they didn't have the 9:00 service they advertised ¢ instead, they were having an 11:00 service at a nursing home. We decided to start for home (stopping at a Methodist church along the way), getting as far as Shelburne, Quebec. Three days later, after driving thru beautiful Fall color all the way, & stopping to see the Soo Locks, we arrived home in Northern Wisconsin. I don't think I've ever been so stiff. Overtired legs & 4 days of sitting in the car are not a good combination.
Date: 2015-02-16
From: THINGS I'D DO DIFFERENTLY

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

THINGS I¢D DO DIFFERENTLYThe last few weeks of the hike, I began thinking about things I¢d do differently if I do another thru-hike, including things I wished I¢d done differently on this hike. Some are probably unrealistic [otherwise, I might have done them this time!]   I made this list right after getting home but never posted it.1. Eat better. As much as I like to eat, that gets difficult as the hike goes on, especially getting enough protein. As a low-fat eater at home, it was hard for me to adjust to the idea that fats are more efficient than carbs, & there¢s no harm in eating lots of both. Energy bars advertise lots of nutrition in concentrated form (which means heavy), but I should have experimented with different kinds to find some that didn¢t disagree with my stomach (especially early in mornings).2. Carry less weight. This totally contradicts the previous one, for the main thing I carried too much of is food. I guess it¢s a matter of better organization: planning mail drops & store visits so that I can minimize the amount I carry at a given time. 3. Get more sleep. By the time I got all set up & did some journaling, it was usually 10:00. I usually got up by 5:30 so that I could be ahead of everybody for a while each day. That¢s not enough sleep. I thought about trying a ¢siesta¢ early in the afternoon (especially in the really hot weather) but seldom succeeded. Hikers who used a Z-Rest pad that they could just flip out to take a nap had an advantage over those with inflatable pads. 4. Get better rest. For parts of the trip, that would probably involve getting a sleeping bag that would give a little more warmth for no more weight. The main thing tho would be figuring out how to get up fewer than 3-4 times per night to pee. Maybe a urologist can help.5. Be more willing to camp between campsites. By the end of the hike, I was doing quite a bit of stealth- & ¢cowboy¢-camping, but it would probably have been more useful to do that in the South. Shortening my day because the shelter came too soon was frustrating ¢ extending the day too long to get to the next shelter often meant ending up with a shorter hike the next day. It wasn¢t smart to do most of my night-hiking in Northern New England rather than in the South [I¢m thankful I escaped injury on some of those rocks!].6. Learn to use my electronic devices BEFORE starting the trip. I got an iPhone to use for photos, communication, & journaling. By the end of the hike, I was using it for navigation as well. I was almost constantly running out of battery power, even with a battery pack & some extra batteries. That meant no photos at some points where I¢d like to & no texting my wife even when I had adequate service. Learning how to shut down power-hungry apps came slowly on the Trail. Even practicing typing beforehand might have been helpful. Or knowing the short-cut to save several steps each time I wanted to use the camera. It wasn¢t till I finished that I discovered how to dictate notes for my journal ¢ that would also have saved a lot of time!
Date: 2013-10-06
From: Colorado

To: Northern Virginia
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Had a great day visiting with my brother and his family, watching football, and eating wings. Wonderful to see Kevin back on his feet after a very difficult summer. And Liv becoming such a poised young lady. It looks like rain for sure tomorrow, then clearing and much cooler for most of the rest of the week. Should be excellent weather to go for a hike, once it clears!