morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-08-18
From: Monson, ME

To: Monson, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Still At Shaw's. Decided to take a rest day today. Needed it after the long hitch to Bangor yesterday. got the bounce box, letter and pictures mailed off today and took care of my email. It is a delightful place - a part of the AT experience and should not be missed. Not that most thru hikers would want to skip by Monson. The Shaws (Keith and Pat) go out of their way to make us feel like family during our stay. Tomorrow AM, the trail southbound.
Date: 2003-08-19
From: Monson, ME

To: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-To
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: few clouds

Eased back into the trail mode today. Walked 4 1/2 hours (6 miles) to the first lean-to adn decided to stop and stay the night. The three of us are here with 3 Nobos. Started out with the boots then switched to the Tevas to ford the Piscataquis River. Felt so good to be back in the Tevas that I just kept them on the rest of the way. Nice to ease back into the trail after a 3 day break at Shaws i Monson. Decided not to send the boots home. That might be premature; there is still some rugged terain ahead. I feel good.
Date: 2003-08-20
From: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-To

To: Moxie Bald Lean-To
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: light rain

Nine miles today in 7 hours. Walked for 5 miles along the bank of the west branch of the Piscataquis River. The MATC calims that is one of the finest river walks in Maine and I don't doubt it. Left it as I forded at it's confluence with Bald Mountain Stream. There are no restaurants or tourist traps on this river walk. The good part of getting to the shelter early (1:25) is having time to wash clothes, bathe and swim before others show up.
Date: 2003-08-21
From: Moxie Bald Lean-To

To: Pleasant Pond Lean-To
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Thirteen miles today up over Moxie Bald Mt. and Pleasant Pond Mt. I can do 14 miles on the flat and level and its OK, but 13 miles up and down mountains kicks my butt. At least this time I got to the lean-to an hour before dark.. Maybe could I be getting the beginning of trail legs? The 40 degree bay was too warm last night; slept on top of the bag. The cool air felt good against my skin. A loon was calling from Pleasant Pond. As the wolf's howl is the call of the wild, the loon's call personifies the wilderness.
Date: 2003-08-22
From: Pleasant Pond Lean-To

To: Caratunk, ME
Miles today: 5.7

Hiked the 6 miles into Caratunk. Will stay here tonight and possibly tomorrow. Next we ford the Kennebec River. Then we plan to continue only 5 miles to Pierce Pond Lean-To. After that it should be an easy 11 mile hike to West Cary Pond Lean-To and then on to the Bigelows. Bigelow Mt. is 4200 ft. with 3 peaks to negotiate. I'll do my best; that's all I can do.Have heard how quickly the weather can change. Its true; since arriving in Caratunk it has turned cold and windy; 50 degree day time and lower 40's, upper 30's at night. Glad to be inside.
Date: 2003-08-23
From: Caratunk, ME

To: Caratunk, ME
Miles today: 0.0

Since arriving here, have felt like I have the flu. I'm not sure what it is, giardiasis or maybe got too dehydrated. So have decided to take an extra day of bed rest. Did not eat much - stomach too upset. Weight is 150. That's good. I'm maintaining that so far after the 1st initial loss from 160 to 145. Of course Bulldog stayed and so did Nature Boy and Steve.
Date: 2003-08-24
From: Caratunk, ME

To: Pierce Pond Lean-To
Miles today: 3.9
Weather: scattered clouds

The Kennebec River is 70 yds wide. The four of us shuttled across in a canoe. Am better today so hiked out here after breakfast. Am watching the sun set over Pierce Pond. This place and today's hike along the bank of Pierce Pond Stream have been the most scenic of our journey so far. What an excellent place of a reunion. Harrisons Lodge is nearby with good SUV road access. Nature Boy and Steve hiked on ahead. Only Bulldog and I are here. Its a very beautiful and serene place. A loon is calling from across the pond. Had the 12 blueberry pancake breakfast at Harrison's. Its still cold and windy. Temperatures as stated earlier. When hiking its OK. When sitting in camp, it can be miserable. Bulldog loaned me his snow pants. With those on and the windbreaker I am toasty warm. I'll never laugh at his snow suit again. Thankfully the wind died down at night making sleeping better.
Date: 2003-08-25
From: Pierce Pond Lean-To

To: West Carry Pond Lean-To
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Ate the 12 Blueberry pancake breakfast with eggs, sausage, coffee, milk and juice at Harrison's so got off to a late start. Ten miles today was all I wanted to do. The footing for the most part was bad with lots of rocks and roots. The 1/2 mile route along East Carry Pond was especially rough. The scenery around the pond was beautiful. Sheltered here by another pond with Bulldog and NoBo hikers. Dug my 1st cat hole today. Did I just cross another milestone in my life?
Date: 2003-08-26
From: West Carry Pond Lean-To

To: Safford Notch Campsite
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Felt really good after hiking 7 miles past Flagstaff Lake to Little Bigelow Lean-To so decided to go 6 more miles over Little Bigelow Mt. to this campsite. Bulldog built a fine lean-to while I was still hiking in. He says his dad taught him how to build them. Good thing because it rained during the night. We stayed dry, but everything we left out is soaked. Its sprinkling some this am of 27th. Should we hike on or spend the day?
Date: 2003-08-27
From: Safford Notch Campsite

To: Horn's Pond Lean-To
Miles today: 5.3

Decided to hike on even thru scattered showers. We did 5 miles today to complete Big Bigelow Mt with its 4 peaks: Avery, West, South Horn and North Horn. One should not underestimate the Bigelows. The total elevation gain is over 6000 feet. However, the trail is mostly better so I thought the Bigelows were easier than White Cap, Chairback, Columbia, Third, Fourth, and Barren Mountains. It took me 6 walking hours to complete today's 5 miles. Only 5 miles to Stratton. Very cold and windy again today.
Date: 2003-08-28
From: Horn's Pond Lean-To

To: Stratton, ME
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Caught a good ride in, arriving about 11:30 AM. Stratton is a town of only 300 full time residents. There are tourists and sportsmen of course. Staying at the White Wolf Inn. It has a phone in the room. Picked up the jump box at the post office. Ate too much for lunch, took a shower, started the laundry, did email from Kathy and shopped for a few food items at the local grocery. Have decided to add flour tortillas, pepperoni and sliced cheese to my trail diet for lunch. I see that a lot on the trail. Seems to be popular with the other hikers. Will call Kathy as soon as the circuits stop being busy. Got a bunch of 'wet ones' out of a hiker box today. Those will be helpful, though heavy.
Date: 2003-08-29
From: Stratton, ME

To: Crocker Cirque Campsite
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Left Stratton and did 8 miles. The day started nice, but soon got windy, clouded over and began to rain in the late afternoon. I got soaked. Faithful Bulldog had the tarp pitched and ready when I got to the campsite about 7PM. My prime concern was to conserve body heat so I immediately crawled under the tarp and pulled my pack in behind me, got my boots off and wriggled out of my wet clothes, wriggled into my dry mid weight long johns and wriggled into my dry sleeping bag. Reached into my food bag and got some snack food for dinner. It was toasty warm and dry and I got the best night's sleep since starting the trail.
Date: 2003-08-30
From: Crocker Cirque Campsite

To: Spaulding Mt. Lean-To
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Crossed Sugarloaf Mt. today. Cold, cloudy and windy all day. Thankfully no rain. Kept my poncho handy. Don't want to get soaked like yesterday again. Took a bad fall on the rocky very steep slope. So Fast! My foot slipped and I started rolling down before I could do anything. When my pack went under me, it lifted me up in the air and I came down hard on my chest on a large flat rock. My head was turned to the right so the left side of my face smashed down, luckily into a pile of soft dirt and moss. My plastic water bottles came loose and went bouncing down over the rocks. I got up and scrambled to retrieve them. Those plastic Pepsi bottles were not damaged. I was OK too. The most damage was to my pride. The Lord is taking good care of me. Tomorrow should be a fairly easy 8 mile day to the next shelter. Good, because the next day will be tough. Hopefully the sun will shine. There are 3 NoBo's here. The girl has a zero degree sleeping bag. The 2 guys have a 20 degree and a 15 degree bag. They are all sleeping with clothes on. I have the liner in the bag and my light weight long johns on and of course my wool socks.
Date: 2003-08-31
From: Spaulding Mt. Lean-To

To: Poplar Ridge Lean-To
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: broken clouds

Crossed Mt. Abraham. Was a nice laid back hike to Oberton Stream where we crossed and ate a snack at 2 PM. However, the last 3 miles were up hill - not easy. Believe me, 8 miles thru mountains is a hard day's work. I've notice how women (even older ones) are good hikers and carry a heavier pack than mine. I figure its because they have strong hips and a lower center of gravity. One told me she also packs the heavier gear lower in the pack. Bulldog does that too. Says that having heavy stuff high in the pack tends to pull him off balance. He is 5'6". So since my fall, I have rearranged my pack. I am now loading the heavier stuff at the bottom of the pack with my sleeping bag and lunch on top. I'm keeping my poncho handy tied on the outside. I'm finding with the heavier stuff loaded at the bottom that the pack actually feels lighter and I'm a lot more stable going over the rocks, roots, and really steep rough places. And there are always plenty of those.
Date: 2003-09-01
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-To

To: Poplar Ridge Lean-To
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Happy Holiday! Its Labor Day and we have decided to take the day off from the R&R (roots and rocks) and get some real R&R (rest and recouperation). Every now and then the body, soul, spirit and equipment just need a little rest. It has turned cold and seems like it will stay cold. It's making me plan ahead. The NoBos all have their heavier sleeping bags. I need to get mine at Gorham, NH so I'll have it before starting the Whites. Going to need my gloves and warm pants from home too. One of the NoBos plays the flute. Now Bulldog says that he wants to get a flute and learn to play it on the trail. How about that?Above treeline and on the balds there is abundant evidence of marine fossils - proof positive that when Maine was covered by a 4,000 ft. thick ice sheet, the weight pushed these mountains down to below sea level for eons of time. The fossils are abundant in all the rocks scraped smooth by the retreating ice.
Date: 2003-09-02
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-To

To: Piazza Lean-To
Miles today: 8.9

This lean to was built by volunteers from L. L. Bean. Beautiful hike today 3 miles above treeline - over Saddleback Junior, The Horn and Saddleback Mt. When I got to Saddleback Mt. I just sat at the summit and soaked in the warmth and the views. Could see Katahdin to the north and Mt. Washington to the south. Each time I summited I rewarded myself with wild blueberries and blackberries. The raspberries grow lower down if there is sun. The blackberry has just one seed. What the sweet blueberry lacks for seeds, the tart raspberry makes up for.
Date: 2003-09-03
From: Piazza Lean-To

To: Rangeley, ME
Miles today: 1.8
Weather: scattered clouds

At the Gull Pond Inn. Decided to come into town for showers and laundry. Will spend the night and also go to Farmington to shop at the Super Walmart for sleeping bags, pants and battery operated warming socks for sleeping. One needs warm feet.
Date: 2003-09-04
From: Rangeley, ME

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

Lightning, thunder and rain all night. Still raining today. Weather report predicts clearning tomorrow and sunny for Sat. And Sun. Why get wet today? Will get free shuttle to town to look for a seamstress, get a haircut, mail the pictures,do some more computer work and some light shopping for trail food. Plus lunch and dinner since this place only serves breakfast. Mostly cereal and coffee, milk and toast.
Date: 2003-09-05
From: Rangeley, ME

To: Sabbath Pond Lean-To
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Missed the Fri. night fish fry at Rangeley, but we are finally badk out on the trail. Saw two moose early this morning. I know that fall is approaching. The leaves are beginning to turn. The bright green is beginning to fade. The poplars are turning gold and beginning to drop their leaves and the maples are turning red. Bulldog and I ate lunch at Little Swift River Pond and took extra time to go canoeing. Delightful! Someone had left 2 old canoes there and some trail magic: a package of hotdogs and some fruit. My thanks to the trail angels. I had heavy duty zippers sewn into my poncho liner to make it easier to use in the 40 degree bag. I asked for heavy duty zippers becuase I did not want to have to worry about them breaking. The lady did not have sleeping bag zippers. The heavy duty zippers have added some weight. If I were doing it again, I would prefer a light weight nylon sleeping bag zipper. Well, we learn by doing, I guess.
Date: 2003-09-06
From: Sabbath Pond Lean-To

To: Bemis Mt Lean-To
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Did a layed back 8 miles today. Tomorrow will be a hard 13. I will probably get up well before daylight and start hiking in the dark. It'll be over 3 tough peaks and up another steep climb to the next lean-to. Had a nice lunch today at Bemis Stream. Very nice place. Pets are not allowed in the shelters. A couple had their dog in the shelter when I arrived. It was getting on Bulldog's bedding. I made them get it out. They decided to leave. How utterly rude of people to take their dogs into the shelter, taking up room from the hikers neeeding a clean place to put out their expensive equipment and sleep. I almost could not believe it when I saw it. Completed First and Second Peaks in the Bemis Range today.
Date: 2003-09-07
From: Bemis Mt Lean-To

To: Hall Mountain Lean-To
Miles today: 12.8

Did the 13 miles today. Got up at 3:30 AM, had breakfast, packed up and headed out at 4:30 AM in the dark with my headlamp on. Eerie feeling in the dark and one worries about staying on the trail. At high elevations the trail is not as discernable because it's bare rock and there is much less vegetation. The white blazes are painted on the bare rock or you would not know where the trail is. In the light of the headlamp, the green moss growing on the rock appears like melting snow. An indication maybe of what is to come? It was light enough to turn the headlamp off about 5:45 AM. I went up over Third Peak, Bemis Mt., Elephant Mt. and very steep Old Blue Mt., where I ate lunch, descended to Black Brook Notch and the went up and over Moody Mt., descending the extremely steep slope into Sawyer Notch and Brook. It was just before dark and I snacked and loaded up with water there even though I knew I would have to carry it up hill because I knew I would not wanto to bother with getting water later. Swinginng on my pack and switching on my headlamp, I began the 1 1/2 mile steep climb up to Hall Mt. Lean-To, arriving there at 9:30 PM. Bulldog was waiting. Cooked dinner and went to bed. It took me 17 hours to complete the 13 miles with 5 snack breaks and a longer lunch break. It was awful, but I did it!.. Fortunately the trail up Hall Mt. is pretty well defined so following it in the dark was OK, but not fun. The white blazes on the trees are visible in the light of the headlamp and the trail in the mountains is usually exposed rock and/or exposed roots. At best in some places in the mountains, the trail is not really a trail. Its just a route, pun intended. After a hour, a little more than halfway up, I sat down and leaning back against my pack, slept for about 10 minutes. It was cold, about 40 degrees but you don't feel it when you're working that hard. Since the trail is exposed dirt, hard rock and or roots, if you begin to step on soft ground and foliage or pine needles, your feet know immediately even in the dark that you are doing something wrong. A nice thing about up that trail in the dark was that the exposed rock in the trail has a lot of mica in it which reflected the light back from the headlamp, making the trail appear like a jeweled staircase. I'm glad that I did it. Now I know that I can do it. I did it because 13 miles is the distance from Bemis Mt Lean-To to Hall Mt. Lean-To. I am not eager to do that distance in the mountains again although I've had to do it 3 times now. The highlight of the day was the black bear that I saw on the trail. Because I hike alone I'm quiet. It did not see me and was walking up the trail toward me. It was black, shiny and shaggy. When I first saw it, I thought it was a dog, but when I didn't see or hear any people, I realized very quickly that it was a bear. Regretably I did not think to snap its picture befor yelling "Bear!" That caused it to look up. When it saw me, it bounded off the trail and scampered away into the woods. It looked very similar to the bear on the cover of Bill Brycen's book.
Date: 2003-09-08
From: Hall Mountain Lean-To

To: Andover, ME
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: clear sky

Getting up this morning Bulldog and I agreed that we should do showers and laundry and get a little real rest. So we hiked the 6 miles over Wyman Mt. down to East B Hill Road and hitched into Andover. It was 6 hours and I forgot to drink. I dehydrated about a 1/2 mile from the road. Drinking plenty of water is really important. Dehydration is very debilitating. One breaks down suddenly and then it becomes very difficult to continue hiking. So you begin drinking, but reovery takes some time (2-3 hours, sometimes 2-3 days if it has progressed too far). So drink water (4 gts a day)!
Date: 2003-09-09
From: Andover, ME

To: Andover, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Good nights sleep, comfortable bed. This lady runs a very clean place. She is like a drill sergent which I don't find offensive, others do. She insists that the hiker follow certain rules, like giving her the dirty laundry and taking a shower before going into any of the common areas. She won't allow boots or any smelly equipment in the house. That stays out on the porch. That's common courtesy, right? But some don't seem to care if their gear and sleeping bag reek so bad that others don't want to be in the smae room with them. Twenty five very rugged miles and the Mahoosic Notch left in Maine. Fortunately the rest of the lean-to's are only 5 to 7 miles apart. Bulldog took the 3 pancake challenge and failed. They were raw and made him sick. He would have gotten them free had he finished. They ended up costing him $6.00 with a tip. He is nicer than I would have been.
Date: 2003-09-11
From: Andover, ME

To: Frye Notch Lean-To
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: broken clouds

Shuttling 8 miles out to the trailhead, Bulldog and I finally found our way out of Andover. We did an easy, laid back, pleasant 4.5 mile hike to this shelter. Nothing really to note, just a very pleasant slow hike in the hardwoods. I'm trying to remember to drink more and eat more. One thing to note is that in the last few days we have run into several NoBo's who are slack packing thru these mountains. They have cars/shuttles waiting to pick them up at the road crossings and spend each night at a hostel. So all they are carrying each day while hiking is a day pack with lunch and a bottle of water and they always look clean and rested. They leap frog from one hostel to the next. Probably a smart way to do these mountains, but hardly seems like real AT thru hiking. Pretty wimpy actually.
Date: 2003-09-12
From: Frye Notch Lean-To

To: Baldpate Lean-To
Miles today: 3.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Interesting Name. Our 2nd laid back day over little Balpate Mt., East and West Peaks of Baldpate Mountain and down to the shelter. Much of it was above treeline with beautiful weather and views. Took 3 pictures above the clouds. I like the openness above treeline on good days. The weather turned warm and sunny. Feels good to be able to kick back in the afternoon with just my shorts on and explore, gather firewood for the evening and soak up the sun's rays. On one of the ledges approaching East Peak, I found a large patch of blackberries. Over on the other side was a patch of cranberries. So I took time to supplement my hikers diet with good berries.
Date: 2003-09-13
From: Baldpate Lean-To

To: Speck Pond Shelter
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: clear sky

Good day. Hard. Descended the 2.5 miles into Grafton Notch in 1 hour 20 minutes. That's real good for me. Good trail and I felt good. The 3 1/2 mile climb up Old Speck Mt. was slower but I knew I would make it if I just kept putting one foot in front of the other. Then it was a steep 1.1 mile descent to Speck Pond, considered the highest pond in Maine. So far the trails in the Mahoosic Range are proving to be easier than what we have already done. One still works hard on these long ascents and descents. It was a difficult 7 miles today, but not as bad as what we have already done. Tomorrow the Arm and Mahoosic Notch. It will be a long 5 mile day.
Date: 2003-09-14
From: Speck Pond Shelter

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: clear sky

Nice hike up onto Mahoosic Arm. Took some pictures and found some more blackberries and cranberries. Then the 1500 foot in a mile and a half descent down the Arm. Took me 3 hours to get through the toughest mile on the AT, the Mahoosic Notch. Then up and over South Peak of Fulling Mill Mt. It was a very tiring 5.1 day. Bulldog could have gotten thru the notch in 2 hours easily, maybe 1 1/2 hours, but he stayed right with me thru the whole hing. He even hiked back to find my lost bandana. It began to rain as we came up out of the Notch. I was thankful that the rain held off until we had finished the Notch. It would have been even more dangerous if those large boulders had been wet and slippery. The poncho kept me and my pack dry this time. But you still get damp from the body moisture inside rain gear. Cooked my Raman noodles for dinner and now to bed. Its a warm night and the air inside the shleter smells of damp, sweaty clothes. By 11PM the wind has dissipated the smell of sweat and freshened the air in the shelter. I unzip my bag and let the cool breeze waft overy my upper body. Its almost too pleasant to sleep.
Date: 2003-09-15
From: Full Goose Shelter

To: Carlo Col Shelter
Miles today: 4.4
Weather: clear sky

The moon and stars came out last night foretelling a nice day today. And it has been. Was above treeline for sometime today. I like it because I can see so far. Took more pictures - 3 of a couple of grouse. Today it was up to North Peak of Fulling Mt, over Goose Eye Mt, and over Mt. Carlo to the shelter. I really do enjoy my hiking much more when I'm not over taxing myself trying to do long days and extra miles thru these mountains. It was a beautiful day but has clouded over and looking like rain - cool and damp.
Date: 2003-09-16
From: Carlo Col Shelter

To: Carlo Col Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: mist

Woke up at 5:30 am to hard rain. It has rained steadily all day to about 5:00pm. Since we were inside, warm and dry, and seeing no good reason to go out and get wet, we decided to stay in and take a zero day. The rain finally stopped about 5pm and the sun actually shown for a few minutes. A good sign for tomorrow. The forecast calls for clear and sunny tomorrow and Thursday. Friday Isabel's rains (a hurricaine) are expectted to begin. So Bulldog and I need to hustle on into Gorham by Thursday evening.