morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-07-17
From: Rt 2 Gorham (White Mtn Hostel)

To: Carlo Col Shelter and Campsite
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: clear sky

July 29, 2011 ¢ Since Earl Grey is nearing Katahdin, I will be adding 3 journal entries today, and for the next few days. Today¢s entries are for June 15, 16, & 17 (so make sure you read all three)-MaryI¢m there! I¢m in my last state and it feels good. After a really good breakfast, Enzed and I headed out around 7:00. I know Enzed was concerned about the miles today, but it seemed as I was the one dragging. As I was leaving all I could think about was how nice it would have been to zero today with Silver Fox, Calf, and One Grey Wolf. I think the Whites really took a toll on me because each hill had my legs feeling like lead, and I certainly didn¢t have any zip. Both of us pushed on, seemingly in slow motion. We managed to make it far enough to leave NH, but not without it giving us one or two last butt kickings. The terrain was basically a continuation of the Whites, but we were also rewarded with some great views. Tomorrow we are set up to do the Mahoosuc Notch and Arm. They describe the Mahoosuc Notch as the toughest mile on the AT. We had a little taste of it just before camp tonight, climbing down and over some huge slabs. Tonight Stitch is in camp, along with Moose and LaLa who came in just before dark. I¢m tenting tonight, so I can hopefully get a good night¢s sleep. I hope the weather will hold off so I don¢t have to pick up a wet tent, and the Notch isn¢t slippery. Off to bed early as we plan a real early start tomorrow.
Date: 2011-07-18
From: Carlo Col Shelter and Campsite

To: Speck Pond Campsite
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: broken clouds

July 30, 2011 ¢ Since Earl Grey is nearing Katahdin; I will be adding 3 journal entries again today, and for the next couple days. Today¢s entries are for June 18, 19, & 20 (so make sure you read all three)-MaryToday was the day we tackled the notch, but not so quick, first we had to hike up and down 3 mountains before we reached the notch.We were up early and on the trail by 6:15, but it still took until 10:30 before we reached the start of the notch. My knees were already aching from the tough climbs and descents we did to reach there, so I was really not looking forward to it. Once we got into the notch it was great though. It would alternate between a warm breeze blowing and a cold draft from the cold rock and ice at the bottom. It really was fun climbing in and around all the boulders and slabs. It wasn¢t so much hard as time consuming. After the notch we had lunch and then tackled the arm that is basically a steep climb with the last half being smooth rock that you have to walk up. Fortunately for us it was dry so it was not so much treacherous as just a long sustained climb. By the time we made it to Speck Pond we decided we¢d had enough for one day. I thought about pushing on another 6.9, but my knees were sore and the weather was threatening, and it would have involved another big climb up Old Speck. I felt bad about doing only 9.5, even more so when I saw Mammoth had stopped here also just yesterday. That means if I had pushed on I would have made up 12 day on him. I felt a little better when La La and Moose came in and decided to stay as well as they were done for. Mammoth said in the register that he is going to Andover, and I have to go also as I¢m nearly out of food. I do have a couple of options tomorrow ¢ a 15 mile or 25 miles and a shuttle to Andover. I¢d love to make some big miles, but I¢m pretty sore and tired right now.
Date: 2011-07-20
From: Andover via South Arm Rd (Pine Ellis Hiker Lodge)

To: Sabbath Day Pond Lean To
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: clear sky

July 30, 2011 ¢ Since Earl Grey is nearing Katahdin; I will be adding 3 journal entries again today, and for the next couple days. Today¢s entries are for June 18, 19, & 20 (so make sure you read all three)-MaryI know I said I wouldn¢t make excuses, but today again it seemed like I was moving in slow motion. It started when I wasn¢t able to get a shuttle back to the trail until about 10:30. I could have gone earlier but I needed to go to the post office to get my new memory card, by then I needed to wait until the later shuttle. Plus, the day today was very hot; I had sweat running right off my nose 20 minutes into the first climb. As nice as yesterday¢s terrain was, today had many roots and I couldn¢t seem to get my feet high enough, so I was constantly tripping and stubbing my toes. Ultimately I only had the strength to make this shelter, which probably means Mammoth made the next one 11 miles ahead. On the plus side, 4 of us went out for breakfast¢Pinch, Enzed, myself, and another southbounder that didn¢t have a trail name yet. We had big breakfasts and lingered drinking coffee and tea while we waited for the post office. I also managed to see a fox running beside the road before it made a huge leap into the woods while Walkabout and I were getting shuttled back to the trail. I also spotted this woodpecker that I didn¢t recognize. It is about the size of a large Hairy Woodpecker, but had kind of a white stripe around the eye. I will investigate more the next time I¢m around a bird book. I hope it is not just a female Hairy, but I don¢t think so because it seemed too big. The best thing about today is that around 7:00 when I got near the shelter I found the sandy beach and took a nice swim. That was just what I needed, it gets all the grime and sweat off which will help me sleep soundly. Even though there is only 1 southbounder in the shelter I decided to set up my tent because there are mosquitos around. The pond is beautiful; it¢s real big but has only one cottage that I can see. Also there is a pair of loons with a chick swimming around and calling out every so often. I¢m going to try to get up early and make some miles again, but the shelters are spaced pretty far apart. Hopefully if I don¢t catch Mammoth before, I will catch him in Stratton.
Date: 2011-07-21
From: Sabbath Day Pond Lean To

To: Poplar Ridge Lean-to
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: overcast clouds

July 31, 2011 ¢ Since Earl Grey is nearing Katahdin; I will be adding 3 journal entries again today, and for the next couple days. Today¢s entries are for June 21, 22, & 23 (so make sure you read all three)-MaryAfter yesterday¢s nice swim I fell asleep to the loons calling and slept soundly. I was up by 5:15 and on the trail by 6:00 trying to beat the heat of the day. I also hoped I would see a moose as the area seemed perfect, and the trail is just covered in moose scat. I felt a little better hiking today, I think due to the cooler morning temps. I was trying to push hard figuring Mammoth was still 11.2 miles ahead at the next shelter. About 9 miles out I came to the Rangeley Road crossing and could see a section hiker I had met earlier trying to hitch a ride. Just as I crossed the road a truck pulled up and let out a hiker, as I got closer I realized it was the elusive Mammoth. Just like back in Georgia at the intersection to Helen, fate, luck, whatever you want to call it, was perfect and we were once again hiking together. Fortunately I wasn¢t any earlier because I would have done extra miles trying to catch him when in fact he would have been behind me. It turns out he also had a tough day yesterday in the heat and decided to go to town for a shower, meal, and to relax. He said he almost zeroed which would have really confused me. It was good to have him back to hike with and we chatted all day catching up on what had gone on. We hadn¢t hiked together since Pearisburg, VA, but have always been 3 or 4 days apart. So the people we¢ve met and the experiences along the trail have been similar. We climbed up and over Saddleback, The Horn, and Little Saddleback today and with a front just brushing by us the wind was incredible. It was much stronger than anything in the Whites and several times nearly blew me over. It made it difficult to walk in a straight line on the summits, but it was a welcome relief from the heat. I need to go to Stratton for re-supply, but we may not make it tomorrow as that is a 21 mile day over Spaulding, Sugarloaf, and both Crockers. For some reason Mammoth decided to re-supply in Rangeley with enough supplies to reach Monson, so he is carrying 7 days¢ worth of food. I think he regrets the decision as his food bag is very large and very heavy. It looks to me now that I will probably finish on either the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th of August depending on the weather or a possible zero day. It¢s so close now, but it still doesn¢t seem real.
Date: 2011-07-22
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-to

To: South Branch Carrabassett River Campsite
Miles today: 13.1

July 31, 2011 ¢ Since Earl Grey is nearing Katahdin; I will be adding 3 journal entries again today, and for the next couple days. Today¢s entries are for June 21, 22, & 23 (so make sure you read all three)Only 13 miles today but we had a pretty big climb up over Spaulding, and by Mt Abraham, and Sugarloaf. Again the heat was high and the humidity oppressive. So far after all talk of the Whites and Maine having cold weather, it¢s actually been beautiful or down right tropical so far. We decided to camp at a beautiful spot next to the South Branch of the Carrabassett River. We were able to swim and cool off and clean up which will make sleeping much better. I had originally planned to make Stratton today, but that would have been a 20.1 mile day, and getting to town late which isn¢t always as restful, as there is so much to do if you are leaving the next morning. Consequently I¢m totally out of food, but Mammoth gave me 2 Ramen and a pack of Poptarts for breakfast. I found about 10 raw potatoes someone had thrown in the woods. Mammoth and I decided to have a fire and roast them in the coals. I was skeptical, but they came out perfectly and were quite good. We just peeled off the burnt skin and they were perfect on the inside. It¢s about 8 miles into town tomorrow so we should have a good rest and hopefully be ready for the final push. There were excellent views today on the summits and the trail was much improved in the footing department, some areas were downright smooth. It is good to be hiking with Mammoth again, and it feels good to relax a little instead of trying to push to catch him. Hopefully we will both catch up to Enzed for the hike up Katahdin, which would make for an excellent finish. We are down to less than 200 miles to go now.
Date: 2011-07-23
From: South Branch Carrabassett River Campsite

To: Stratton Maine (Stratton Motel Hostel)
Miles today: 8.4

July 31, 2011 ¢ Since Earl Grey is nearing Katahdin; I will be adding 3 journal entries again today, and for the next couple days. Today¢s entries are for June 21, 22, & 23 (so make sure you read all three)Today started early as we wanted to have as much time in town as possible. Straight out of camp we climbed gradually, then near straight up to South Crocker Mt, then down a little and back up again to North Crocker. Then it was a gradual down all the way to the road. The views back to Sugarloaf were nice, and fortunately we got the climbs done before it got too hot. We were picked up at the trailhead and at the hostel by 10:45. The hostel is very nice and we cleaned up, ate, relaxed, ate, did laundry, ate, and generally kicked back for the day. I see from the journal that Enzed made it here 2 days ago and headed out yesterday, so hopefully we can catch her. The hostel owner said what was in the fridge was fair game as it was going to be thrown out so Mammoth and I did the job for her, only we didn¢t throw anything out, we just ate everything that was in date. This evening I made Mammoth dinner as it was his birthday 2 days ago. We had sausage subs with onion + peppers. Tomorrow the weather is hopefully going to break and be cooler. We will head out and do the last big climbs until Katahdin¢the Bigelows. I finally got a chance to look at my journal again today, and once again I am touched and appreciative of all the positive comments and well wishes I¢ve received. It really does help to know I¢ve got so much support from both people I know and don¢t know. I¢ve probably mentioned it before but it¢s really uplifting to know that someone I don¢t know personally took the time out of their busy day to offer me support, thanks once again to everyone. As I near the end of my hike I realize that a lot of your comments encourage me to continue to write every day, this has helped me to stay current with my journal and will pay off in the end as I¢ll have a pretty complete reminder of the details of my hike. I¢m grateful that I have a daily account because there are some details that I purposely leave out as they aren¢t always appropriate for all ages. But what I do write serves as a reminder to the other little stories that make up the complete hike.
Date: 2011-07-25
From: Little Bigelow Lean-to

To: Pierce Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: overcast clouds

August 1 ¢ I¢m adding 2 journal entries today, July 24 & 25. Tomorrow I will enter July 26, and then once Alan is home we will add the final entries including Katahdin. ¢ MaryYesterday was beautiful views from mountain tops; today it was gorgeous pond after gorgeous pond. We started at Flagstaff Lake, and then went by West Carry Pond, on to East Carry Pond, and now tonight we are camping by Pierce Pond. Each of these has little development that can be seen, at least from the trail. The trail was quite flat as it wound through ponds today, and the weather was again good, though a little hotter. We didn¢t feel the need to swim today, though we could have at any of the four bodies of water. We did stop and have lunch at a small beach on East Carry, which was wonderful. At the West Carry Lean-to, that we had stopped to have a break at, I met a southbounder named ¢Slinger¢. She has a trailjournal, so I¢ll let her explain how she got her name. As we talked I realized she was from the town right next to mine. As we talked some more I came to realize we knew some of the same people as she is about the same age as my oldest son, Nathan. Her hiking partner had just left the trail because he had gotten a job, so she was feeling down. We tried to cheer her up and wish her luck, she seems like an awesome ¢kid¢ and I hope she continues. When we got to the shelter we realized there is a camp about 12 mile away that will cook a 12 pancake breakfast for hikers if you make a reservation. Of course Mammoth and I made a reservation and will be there promptly at 7:00. Apparently this is some sort of wilderness camp with no electricity, where guests can come and stay in cabins for a couple of days or a week. When we made our reservation and filled our water bottles we sat and watched the hummingbird feeders, which had at least 15-20 hummingbirds zooming everywhere. Mammoth was amazed as he had seen only one other hummingbird the entire trip. According to Enzed¢s entry on the register, she made this stretch on a hot day with no problems, going for 2 swims along the way. Weather report for tomorrow is rain, and it¢s already sprinkling now. Tomorrow is the day we cross the Kennebec in the canoe. It¢s the official trail and comes up in about 4 miles; I hope it is not raining so hard that I can¢t get pictures. Off to bed, there are pancakes to be eaten in the morning.
Date: 2011-07-26
From: Pierce Pond Lean-to

To: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to.
Miles today: 18.7

The bugs were so bad in the shelter last night that for the first time I set up my tent in the shelter to get away from them. I normally wouldn¢t do that, but it was just Mammoth and I so I did. The shelter was so small that my tent stuck out a little on the end. Mammoth had a miserable night on two accounts, the mosquitos and the fact that he is so tall his head was right on the edge of the shelter, and they had put a log on the edge to keep the porcupines from chewing the boards. So he had a log pillow, and consequently with the rain in the morning he was not real happy. I knew coffee and pancakes would cheer him up so we packed and headed for the Pierce Pond Camp. When we arrived we met another couple from Middlebury, VT that had stayed last night. We chatted and all ate together, they had lived in NH previously and he had worked at the AMC huts in the Whites when he was younger. The breakfast was great¢12 pancakes, 3 blueberry, 3 raspberry, and 3 apple, along with sausage, eggs, and tea or coffee and juice. When we had finished the owner came out and commented that he knew who the thru-hikers were and who the section hikers were. We had licked our plates clean, yet they had half of their pancakes uneaten. The owner kindly packed up the left overs and Mammoth packed them out. When we left the rain had pretty much stopped so we headed for the ferry along a rough trail next to the river. We arrived to see the ferry coming over to get the couple¢¦ we had breakfast with, then when they were dropped off the ferry returned for us. We signed the waiver, donned our life jackets and were off for our 3 to 4 minute shuttle ride; of course I had to paddle too. The canoe even has a white blaze in the bottom. Once over the river we started back up, of course, and the many roots made the footing difficult. It was still wet so we didn¢t make good time but eventually we got up and over Bald Mountain and made the shelter just as it was starting to rain. I threatened to set up my tent fearing the mosquitos would be bad, but the thunder storm made me wait, and eventually it got dark and I just crashed in the shelter. Tonight we have a southbounder section hiker and a Northbound thru-hiker named ¢Bearsweat¢ in the shelter with us. There is a southbound couple that set up in the rain because the wife was squeamish about mice. Tomorrow we need to make the 22 miles to Monson as I need to re-supply again.
Date: 2011-07-27
From: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to.

To: Monson (Shaw's)
Miles today: 22.1

August 5 ¢ Today, in addition to adding the July 27th entry, I finished yesterday¢s entry (July 26th) which Alan still had in his journal book. In the next couple days the journal will be updated with multiple entries as we near the end. Enjoy! ¢ MaryWe were up and going not super early, but by 7:30. No mosquitos last night as it rained heavy, so that was a blessing. The rain has made the trail slick though. We started right up Moxie Mountain this morning and had no views as it was still foggy, but at least it was not raining. We inched our way down as the moss and lichen covered rocks were treacherous. Once we were on what looked like flat easy walking we found it actually to be rocky trail with muddy, slippery rocks. We had two real fords today that we needed to take our shoes off for. I took pictures, much to Mammoths disapproval. Once we got past the fords the trail was much nicer following the river for several miles and was really quite pretty now that the sun had come out. We were getting tired, but tried to pick up our pace as the trail was really very nice. On the last Mountain about 2 miles from the Monson road crossing I called my wife who was at her mom¢s about an hour away, she offered to come shuttle us to Shaw¢s in Monson. Once at the road we had just a short wait until my wife, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law (April) arrived. They brought Gatorade, oatmeal cr me pies, and beef jerky, all greatly appreciated. We could have stayed at April & Phillips, but Shaw¢s is such an icon we decided to stay there. We showered, ate, and did our laundry, and I¢m sure we will sleep soundly tonight. My wife will pick us up tomorrow for a proper re-supply in Greenville before she drops us off at the trailhead. I wish I had more time to spend with family (Mary¢s younger brother Garrett & wife Anna also live in Maine with their son Chase and Anna¢s sister Kelly), but we are so close to the finish we are ready to push on and be done.
Date: 2011-07-28
From: Monson (Shaw's)

To: Wilson Valley Lean-to
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: clear sky

August 6, 2011 ¢ Today and tomorrow I will add 4 journal entries. Todays will be July 28, 29, 30 & 31. Enjoy ¢ MaryAfter a wonderful night¢s sleep we had breakfast around 8:00. Shaw¢s breakfast is renown on the trail. They ask you a number between 1 & 5 and whatever you say is how many pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage and hash browns you get. You can get as much as you like, but they ask that you eat everything, so the most you can start with is 5 and then get more if you need. I did a 3 and then added a 1 later; Mammoth did a 5 and was full. Bearsweat came in town this morning just for breakfast and did 9 total, very impressive. My wife soon arrived to bring us to Greenville for a re-supply. I got so much food for the 100 mile wilderness that my food bag is full, plus I had sandwich rounds, two bags of cereal, and cookies just stuffed on the top of my pack. Needless to say when Mary dropped Mammoth and I off our packs were exceedingly heavy. I said my goodbye, and the next time we see each other will be Katahdin. We headed out moving quite slow this morning due to the food in our bellies and the weight of our packs. The trail enters the 100 mile wilderness and meanders around 4 ponds, 1 waterfall, and up a pretty ridge with the shale rock all oriented vertically. This is just in the first 10 miles we hiked to day. We stopped at the Leeman Brook Lean-to for a quick break and second breakfast. We each enjoyed 2 homemade burritos courtesy of April & Phillip. Phillip made the tortillas from scratch, and they were filled with beef, beans, cheese and more! Very yummy. The trail was nice today despite our heavy packs. We ended the day with another ford. I was able to make it across a log without taking off my shoes. Mammoth decided not to risk losing his balance and going for a swim so he removed his boots for the crossing. I know the next two days will be more challenging with several good ups, but then it flattens out until Katahdin. It is so close now that we can taste it, but we are also ready for the journey to be over. Of all things, tonight at the shelter besides some southbounders, and a youth group is a flip-flopper named ¢Four Eyes¢. She too is a Physicist, so Mammoth is in heaven.
Date: 2011-07-29
From: Wilson Valley Lean-to

To: Chairback Gap Lean-to
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: overcast clouds

August 6, 2011 ¢ Today and tomorrow I will add 4 journal entries. Todays will be July 28, 29, 30 & 31. Enjoy ¢ MaryToday¢s terrain looked like one big climb with some small little bumps. Once again it was deceiving. The first climb was relatively easy but the little bumps were up and down steep areas of ledge and then down into bogs. It was hard to make good progress and by the time we reached our shelter we were beat. What we were doing today was what they call the Chairbacks. One of the neat things we saw today in the fourth mountain bog was pitcher plants. These are carnivorous plants that look like water pitchers. They are filled with a liquid that attracts insects that are then devoured by the plants. The bog was filled with thousands of them, some were even flowering. I took lots of pictures, so hopefully some will come out nice. We hit a big milestone today, under 100 miles to go. At the shelter tonight are 4 southbounders who we had a lot of fun talking with contrasting our last 100 miles to go as they now approach their first 100 mile mark. They had lots of questions and we tried to be encouraging, not discouraging as they said a couple earlier northbounders had been. Bearsweat came in late and the shelter is quite full. Tonight I am staying in the shelter, and Mammoth decided to tent out. The southbounders are talking about trail magic at the Katahdin Ironworks road which consists of Whoopie Pies and soda. I have also been hearing rumors of trail magic for Mammoth and I provided by my mother-in-law Bev and my sister-in-law April at the same location. Mammoth and I are going to try for a big day tomorrow so we can hopefully make White House Landing the following day. It could be tough though as it is supposed to rain tonight and into the morning and we have to climb the last major climb until Katahdin, White Cap.