morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-07-22
From: Bald Mountain Brook Shelter, ME

To: 2.3 miles north of Horseshoe Canyon Shelter, ME
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: clear sky

The oddest thing happened today: I drew water from a stream and it wasn't until after I screwed the cap back on the bottle did I realize that there were two little fish in my bottle. I can see one fish as a probability, but two seems improbably lucky, but it was catch and release day on the AT. I have a short six mile hike tomorrow morning and then I am going into Monson, ME, which is the last town stop on the AT where food can be purchased. Monson is at the south end of the 100 Mile Wilderness, which is the final leg of the AT before Katahdin. I will do all the usual hiker tasks in Monson before starting north again. Tonight I am tenting between shelters near a water source, which is my favorite place to spend a night. Sometimes I enjoy the social aspects of a well-utilized shelter and sometimes I like a quiet evening in the vast forest. I sat on a flat rock in the nearby stream this afternoon and let cool water flow all around me, which was a perfect ending to a day's hike. I am safe, dry, and warm tonight.
Date: 2016-07-23
From: 2.3 miles north of Horseshoe Canyon Shelter, ME

To: 3 miles south of Leeman Brook Shelter, ME
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: clear sky

Last night's thunderstorm just missed me, but I was ready and waiting for it anyway. It's essential that every tent peg on light-weight backpacking tents stays in the ground during high winds. If just one peg comes out of the ground during high winds the tent loses it structural strength very quickly, which I learned in the Shenandoah National Park in the Spring where I unfortunately saw some wind-demolished tents. This morning I short-hiked during a beautiful dawn and early morning to the intersection of the AT and ME Highway 15 and was then shuttled into a hostel in Monson, ME. I arrived early enough that the hostel guests were still having breakfast, so I joined them. I had a nice lunch and dinner downtown today too. This hostel is very busy and filled almost entirely with SOBOs who have just finished the 100 Mile Wilderness, which I will start when I leave Monson. I am safe, dry, and warm tonight.
Date: 2016-07-24
From: 3 miles south of Leeman Brook Shelter, ME

To: 3 miles south of Leeman Brook Shelter, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today I took a zero day and ate and rested well and made some final arrangements for the end of the adventure while I still had some cell service here in Monson, ME. My estimate is that it will take me one week to complete the 100 Mile Wilderness and reach Katahdin. My hope is that my youngest daughter, who lives in Maine, will summit Katahdin with me and she is busy trying to adjust her work schedule to accommodate me. Today's weather was perfect summer weather, which is making me itchy to get back on the trail to put the summer weather to good use. I am safe, dry, and warm tonight.
Date: 2016-07-25
From: 3 miles south of Leeman Brook Shelter, ME

To: Long Pond Stream Shelter, ME
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: broken clouds

I left the hostel in Monson at 5:30 a.m. this morning, and I am all by myself at a tent site adjacent to a shelter tonight, which is my first time alone at a shelter in a very long time, perhaps months. I did my first day in the 100 Mile Wilderness today. There weren't any fire-swamps or rodents of unusual sizes in The Wilderness, so I think I will be okay. I didn't meet any NOBOs today, but I passed by at least ten SOBOs headed towards Monson. The SOBOs I meet tomorrow will be very new, having hiked less than 100 miles of the AT. The rain is falling gently on my tent roof tonight, but there is no thunder near or far. I am safe, dry, and warm tonight.
Date: 2016-07-26
From: Long Pond Stream Shelter, ME

To: 4.3 miles north of Chairback Gap Shelter, ME
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: broken clouds

Today's trail seemed relentlessly up and down and there were few water sources, but a late afternoon soaking in the stream next to my tent site made it all better. I will need to ford that stream in the wee-morning light tomorrow. It will be my widest ford yet, so I think I will start the day in my bathing suit, just in case. Last evening's dark weather didn't last, as today was a sun drenched day, which surprised me. Tomorrow is more climbing, but I am safe, dry, and warm tonight.
Date: 2016-07-27
From: 4.3 miles north of Chairback Gap Shelter, ME

To: East Branch Shelter, ME
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: light rain

Today I summited and descended my last 3,000 footer until Katahdin. The view south from the summit was of seemingly endless mountains; however, the view north was of a stunningly flat landscape, like no other place on the AT. The trail likewise flattens out starting tomorrow, but I've heard that although big climbing is over with, the trail surface is still rocks, roots, and ruts. Perhaps I can high-step over some of the rocks, roots, and ruts with my high hips and long legs. I was looking forward to soaking in the East Branch of the Pleasant River after hiking today, but the river was very slow moving and brackish and a long, rascally, and hungry leech attached itself to my foot within minutes. I am tenting next to another empty shelter tonight. The SOBO bubble must be south of me now and the NOBOs more spread out on the trail. I have had many good hiking weather days in a row now and I wonder how much longer it can last. I am safe, dry, and warm tonight.
Date: 2016-07-28
From: East Branch Shelter, ME

To: 3.7 miles north of Cooper Brook Shelter, ME
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: light rain

Today was a busy day. Early this morning I went to the beach at Crawford Pond to go swimming, since the pond is only 200 feet off the AT. Then I dodged a mid-morning thunder and rain storm by ducking into a shelter that was close by. In the afternoon, I set my poles and rain fly up in order to stay dry during another storm. Taking time to keep my shoes dry during these short duration storms is worth the delay it takes to keep them dry. It's evening now and yet another storm is coming, as the thunder is getting loader, but I could give a care if it storms and rains at night. Consistent with my new AT mantra (I'll never be hungry again), I rendezvoused with my food drop late this afternoon at a private road crossing, which is a food service hostels will provide for a fee. I am safe, dry, and warm tonight.
Date: 2016-07-29
From: 3.7 miles north of Cooper Brook Shelter, ME

To: Wadleigh Stream Shelter, ME
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a return to sunny, drier summer weather after two days of overcast, humid, and stormy weather. I had some extra time today so I went swimming again when the trail passed a wide sandy lakeside beach. The many lakes and streams along the northern sections of trail in Maine may make Maine my favorite AT state, even though passing through Maine's Mahoosuc Notch one mile long boulder pit in the southern trail section was like being in an episode of the TV show American Ninja Warrior, which doesn't have much to do with hiking either. But I do love all the water, and that counts for a lot, although I do have a sweet spot for Virginia too. I am safe, dry, and warm tonight.
Date: 2016-07-30
From: Wadleigh Stream Shelter, ME

To: Hurd Brook Shelter, ME
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: clear sky

Today was a picture perfect summer day's hike and now it's a beautiful and still summer evening. Tonight I am tenting near Hurd Shelter, which is the last NOBO shelter in the 100 Mile Wilderness. Tomorrow night I will be at The Birches, which are through-hiker shelters located at the Katahdin Stream Campground and are the last NOBO AT shelters. The AT leaves Katahdin Stream Campground on its way to summit Katahdin Mountain. Rather than feeling euphoric about the trail's end, I am in a quiet and reflective mood about my adventure's end. I have been wondering for months why mosquitos only buzz my right ear, but today I finally got it. I am safe, dry, and warm tonight.
Date: 2016-07-31
From: Hurd Brook Shelter, ME

To: The Birches, ME
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: broken clouds

The SOBO reports of impenetrable rocks, roots, and ruts in the 100 Mile Wilderness trail to Katahdin were thankfully overstated, as such things usually are. Today I arrived at Katahdin Stream Campground and was prepared to stay the night at The Birches, which are the last NOBO shelters on the AT, but then I easily yogied a ride into Millinocket, so here I am tonight, rather than tomorrow. I will zero here while happily anticipating my youngest daughter's arrival on Tuesday evening and then our summit hike together on Wednesday, 3 August. We hiked Katahdin's summit last August when my left-side brain insisted on seeing what my right-side brain was conjuring up for an AT adventure. It is for the same reason my left-side and I scouted Springer Mountain, Georgia in January 2015. Although Katahdin isn't the highest elevation on the AT, or even in New England, it is a wonderful monadnock and thus has the longest and steepest vertical ascent trail on the entire AT, with many rock scrambles. I am safe, dry, and warm tonight.
Date: 2016-08-02
From: Millinocket, ME

To: Millinocket, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Yesterday and today were pleasant zero days here in Millinocket, and I have been busy with my plan not to return home feeling and looking exhausted and starved. My daughter arrives tonight in Millinocket from her home in Portland, ME, which will give us an early start tomorrow morning at the Katahdin Stream Campground on our way to summit Katahdin. I am unready to think of the through-hike as over until I finish the descent of Katahdin tomorrow afternoon. The weather forecast for tomorrow looks good for climbing rock. I am safe, dry, and warm tonight.
Date: 2016-08-03
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Katahdin Summit
Miles today: 5.2

My daughter and I had a beautiful summer day to hike Katahdin on my very last day on the AT. It's been a pleasure to be a classmate of the Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker Class of 2016! But today is my graduation day and it's time for me to leave the trail and go home. Without my lovely wife's support and encouragement for this adventure, I may not have graduated (just like when we were in college!) My youngest daughter was a great hiking coach and equipment manager, whose important mail drops of gear kept me moving. Also, I emailed my daily journal and journal photo to her via my cell phone and she did some editing before posting my journal to Trail Journals. My two older daughters were in my corner every step of the way too. Behind every thru-hiker is a support staff of trail angels, hiking club trail maintainers, US Forest Service workers, National Park Service workers, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the Appalachian Mountain Club, many state park service workers, providers of rides to town, and hostel workers who work long days to please their hiker guests. Absolutely no one hikes the AT alone. No one.Thank you to all who signed my guest book and sent notes of encouragement.I am safe, dry, and warm tonight.
Date: 2016-03-03
To: The Guest Bedroom at my Parent's House
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Last week, I had the distinct honor of resigning from my job 4 times in one day. It was the best day ever. It also means that I can't back out of my AT Thru-hike because I don't have a normal, stable life to fall back on anymore...I have one of those weird ambiguous jobs where I work for a lot of different people in lots of different departments and also for no one boss in particular, which makes it stupendously complicated to do things like take a sick day or quit in a fit of rage (Come to think of it, that may be by design). Of course, this wasn't a fit of rage quit and storm out situation- in fact, this was the best planned "Eff this, I'm out" moment of my adult life. And that's coming from someone with A LOT of those moments in her personal history. I've been planning my AT Thru Hike since early October and had all the details nailed down ages ago (Note: By "all the details" I mean that I picked a start date and bought some trail mix, but I'm sure everything will be fine), but I was terrified to quit my job in case, I don't know, someone got mad and keyed my car or something. Plus, once I no longer had a job, this plan was really real and I couldn't back out or say "maybe next year" again.The word had gotten out amongst the endlessly gossipy nurses (mad love, RN friends, but you know it's true)- mostly because I told several of them, so this is really on me- and it was only a matter of time before it got back to one of the many powers that be. Stomach in knots, sweating profusely, I marched from office to office- "hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" "Oh no, are you quitting?""Um, yeah, but not because I found a new job, if that makes it any better."To my immense relief, every manager I talked to was thrilled for me! I resigned in person to all three department heads (and their assistant managers, who happened to be around at the time), answered the requite "Bears? Gun? Tent? But, food?" questions I've become accustomed to, then formally resigned via email, just for good measure. My job is posted on the company HR site and we've received 4 resumes in 3 days. I gotta say, I immediately felt ten pounds lighter. Quitting my job has been the hardest part of the process to date, but here I am, all quitted up, and ready to hike. Now, I just have to walk 2189 miles and I'll have this absurd thru-hike notion all wrapped up.Let's do this.
Date: 2016-03-05
To: East Fork State Park
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Almost every shakedown hike I've taken this winter has ended in me packing out at least 5 lbs of garbage. When the vegetation dies off for the winter and the seasonal trail maintenance crews all go into state mandated hibernation, our local state parks begin to fill with garbage at an alarming rate. Some of the trash is so inexplicable to me that I can't help but marvel at the absurdity of modern humanity. For example, here is a short list of some of the odder objects discovered on yesterday's 11 mile hike on the local backpacking loop:1. A frappuccino bottle, found 3 miles from the closest trailhead. Who would carry in Starbucks on a *minimum* 6 mile round trip hike? For some reason, this one truly bothered me.2. 3 soccer balls, left at almost exactly 1 mile increments, labeled with motivational phrases like "you're almost there!" My golden retriever joyfully helped carry these out. My theory is that they were placed by an over-eager Boy Scout parent who helped plan the weekend backpacking trip and didn't feel like retracing their steps...3. A microwave. Just how and why does a microwave end up this far from a road? I couldn't exactly carry that guy out. Here's hoping that a powerlifter with an up to date tetanus booster happens to wander by sometime soon. It breaks my heart to see this level of blatant disrespect for nature and shared spaces. And it seems like an impossible task to try to keep up with the damage we inflict on trail environments.There has been a lot of talk in the AT community about overuse and the resulting damage to the trail, particularly in Georgia and Tennessee, where most Katahdin hopefuls start. That's one of the primary reasons that I decided to do a Flip Flop instead of a NOBO hike this year.But, I've also been struggling with the inherent selfishness of my decision to hike for 6 months, especially during a presidential election season (speaking as a reformed campaign operative here), so I've been seeking a way to make my thru-hike have a larger impact than just helping me "find myself." Inspired by these guys: http://packingitout.blogspot.com/ who removed over 1000 lbs of trash from the AT last year, my goal is to remove as much trash as I can logistically manage during my hike. Since I don't have a strict timeline (like a job or school to get back to; or worrying about reaching the end before Katahdin closes for the winter) I can take my time and pick up trash as I go.Now I just have to figure out the logistics of finding people to help me get the trash off the trail (more often than my typical every-four-days scheduled town stops) and work on getting my pack a bit lighter so the extra 10 pounds of garbage won't be unmanageable. But, I'm excited to add this element to my hike! Advice and opinions gladly accepted!
Date: 2016-03-15
To: One Last Race & Assorted Other Thoughts
Miles today: 0.0

I hung a countdown calendar in my office today. 29 days of work left until I'm finally gainfully unemployed! Really hoping we can get someone started into my position soon, so that I can get them trained and leave my job without too much guilt.In other news, I haven't raced since my half marathon PR last fall, but I ran the Heart Mini 15K this weekend. I've been really worried that I'm actually losing fitness, since I just hike a lot, instead of my typical 12 hour a week Ironman training schedule, but the 9ish mile run on hilly terrain was easy, breezy wonderful (admittedly, I was running 3:1 with a friend at several minutes/mile slower than my half marathon pace, but, just let me have this one). Even more exciting than my easy run, my awesome friend Mallory, who is in training for her first marathon, set a PR at the half marathon distance. I'm a little- well, a lot- jealous of her right now. I'm so competitive and I love working towards intense goals, but I knew I had to focus on healing all my war wounds from last season if I wanted to minimize my chances of injury out on the trail this year. Already looking forward to training for an ultramarathon if I can make it back from the trail alive...Speaking of ultramarathons, I finally got a chance to chat with Seth from Packing It Out yesterday (his bio says he runs ultramarathons, so that's a semi-logical segue). I don't know him well, but I'm about 97% sure he's a great guy. As I mentioned before, Seth, Joe, and Paul (aka Cap, Goose, and Spice) packed over a thousand pounds of trash, including a couple of mattresses, off the AT last year. Their work helped inspire me to do something similar this year, so we talked strategy for a bit. They're going to be on the PCT packing out trash this season, which sounds like a logistical nightmare, but I'm sure they'll kick all manner of ass. So now I'm even more excited about this complicated plan of mine, because Seth was super excited and it was really invigorating to talk to somebody else who was equally jazzed about garbage. Picking up trash is a task typically reserved for low level offenders and teenagers who need something on their college applications, but I am so excited. PS: Follow Cap, Goose, and Spice on the PCT this year on Instagram @packingitout and their website packingitout.blogspot.com and keep your eyes peeled for any mention of me on their social media
Date: 2016-03-22
To: Gear Update
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Got this fabulous new pack in the mail last week: Granite Gear Lutsen 55. I'm pretty excited about it.The frame and hip belt are adjustable, so I'll have to recruit the local outfitters to help me get it sized correctly. My favorite feature- it's basically a giant dry bag! The whole thing is waterproofed, which, frankly, is a feature I think every backpack should come with... Plus, PLUS, it's a pound lighter than my current, 40 liter pack. I'll have to do a few shakedown hikes with it, make sure I'm comfortable, but I've got high hopes That's it for now!
Date: 2016-04-09
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Today, I finished making enough backpacking meals for 3 mail drops, aka all the drops I'll need on the first half of the trail. Mama Bee helped out- we made pesto pasta, couscous with Parmesan and sun dried tomatoes, curried rice, cheddar mashed potatoes, and a boatload of instant oatmeal packets. I'm feeling good about my food choices.That being said, the process made this whole trip feel very real and now I'm 7 different kinds of nervous. 6 months is a long time to be in the woods. 2189 miles is a lot of miles. My hip kind of hurts, what if it gets worse. Now that I have 20 lbs in my new pack, I'm not sure I like it. Et cetera, et cetera, ad nauseum. I've been following a few hikers here, on Instagram, and on Appalachian Trials who have already started and the [predictably high] attrition rate has me doubting myself a bit. Statistics are one thing, but actually reading about WHY people quit is unnerving. Especially because none of the stories I've read yet have been particularly compelling, it's always just "I wasn't feeling it" or "I got norovirus." That's why people quit?! Shit, if that's all it takes, I'm just statistical cannon fodder. I'm a baby every time I get a cold. Oh boy.I'm sure I'm just overthinking this whole thing, but right now, I'm reminding myself of a pre-wedding Chandler Bing, terrified of commitment to an uncertain future, so I'm hiding out in my parent's guest room with beer and Netflix. To help mitigate my concern, I made a deal with the parents today- if I decide to quit, they are only allowed to come get me if I'm seriously ill or injured. Otherwise, I have to figure out how to get back home on my own, via bus or train or whatever. If I can't get home easily, maybe I'll be less likely to become part of the 70% that don't make it. Because they're lovely and supportive parents, Ma and Pa have always been an easy out for me when things get tough- college roommate killed my beta fish? "Mom, come get me away from this crazy bitch." "I'm on my way now." Easy peasy. But this time, I'm taking that option off the table because 1. I'm a grown ass human being who shouldn't be calling her mom to bail her out and 2. I don't want to quit the trail unless it's medically necessary. I know myself well enough to know the "medically necessary" threshold is, don't worry. Well, maybe worry a little bit. I did race a half-Ironman with a stress fracture in my foot, so I'm kind of a moron. Oh shiz, another thing to worry about.I think the moral of this utterly pointless post is that Mom and I make really great backpacking food and she should start a side business shipping Mom-Made meals to hiker trash. Also, I am terrified I'm going to think the AT is too hard and want to bail. Mostly the second one.PS. Sorry I write in incomprehensible run-on sentences like a schizophrenic James Joyce when I'm anxious...
Date: 2016-04-29
To: In Harper's Ferry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It's 3 am on the first day of my hike. I've been awake for hours, no surprise there.I drove to Harper's Ferry yesterday, leaving behind a few grumpy house cats, one baleful golden retriever, and hastily written instructions for a few mail drops.The weather is a charming, character building kind of unpleasant- rain, fog, 40 degrees overnight. 25 degrees cooler than Cincinnati.I'm staying with my parents, who insisted on joining me for my first day on the trail, at The Jackson Rose, a historic B&B where Stonewall Jackson was headquartered during the- as they seem to call it around here- "War of Northern Aggression." Dad is thoroughly enjoying the history of the place. I'm fond of the sorely needed glass of wine the proprietors greeted me with upon arrival.I met my first fellow hiker yesterday, while searching out my first white blaze. His eyes were down, trudging through town with a beleaguered looking pup in tow. Mom greeted him, because that's what she does and not what I do, because anxiety. He sounded exhausted and frustrated, searching for a place to stay in exchange for work. He said his funds were tapped and he just wanted to go home. We wished him luck and he plopped himself to the ground in front of the Amtrak station. Momma Bee, eager for a chance to deal out trail magic, gave him the cash he needed for a room in the hostel, asking him to pay it forward when he could. She's a nice lady, my mom.The Trail, sometimes in the form of my own mother, provides.