morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-08-15
From: Stealth Camp, ME

To: Spaulding Mountain Lean-to, ME
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: broken clouds

Pockets was not feeling well this morning so we stayed in camp until 10:30 before we attempted to get in some miles. I spent the morning building a fire, listening to music, washing my clothes and generally just relaxing while Pockets slept. Even though most of the available firewood was wet from recent rains, I was able to get a fire started using bark from Birch trees.  While gathering firewood, I heard the droning sounds of 4-wheel AT'Vs off in the distance and I wondered how far away they were.  When you are in the woods in a "wilderness setting", you can't help feeling a little vulnerable in situations where locals are present. We were only able to make it a little over 5 miles to the next shelter and Pockets, who still was not feeling well, could not go any further so we stopped at the first shelter we came to. We stopped and rested for a while and contemplated our next move. We were falling behind our schedule to meet Pockets friend in Monson, Maine on the 19th and most likely would not make it. We ended up staying in the shelter with the idea that Pockets may end up having to skip a few miles to get to Monson on time. Later UPS, Big Ups, and Five Star showed up and stayed with us in the shelter.
Date: 2014-08-16
From: Spaulding Mountain Lean-to, ME

To: Stratton, Maine
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

We hiked on in the morning and Pockets was feeling a little better but still did not have much of an appetite. We ended up hiking to a road and hitching a ride to Stratton, ME with "Uncle Charlie" who was in town visiting a friend. The ride was free, but "Uncle Charlie" sure did like to talk and we ended up listening to his stories well after we had left his vehicle. We ran into Vista, Gargomel, and Gazelle who were in town for a resupply but were planning on pushing on. It ended up being a quiet, restful night at the hostel.
Date: 2014-08-17
From: Stratton, Me

To: Little Bigelow Lean-to, ME
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: overcast clouds

We caught a shuttle back to the trail at 7:30 and started hiking in a steady rain. It had rained all night and the forecast was for rain all day. Three miles into the hike we crossed the official 2,000 mile mark making our Thru-Hikes official in the eyes of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. We hiked up Bigelow Mountain and Avery Peak which would provide exceptional views except today all we saw were gray skies and blowing mist. The trail was very difficult today and calling it a trail is a little misleading. It is a pathway, a route, or a path of least resistance but it was anything than a trail.We passed two lady section hikers near the end of the day at the turn-off to the shelter and they said we were going the wrong way just as they realized that it was where they also wanted to go. We shared the Little Bigelow Lean-to with a SOBO, and a couple of loud snoring section hikers who slept on opposite sides allowing for a nice "stereo" effect. Dawg was also there. The water source for the shelter is a nice swimming hole called "The Tubs". Normally, I do not pass up swimming holes, but I was just too tired at the end of the day today.
Date: 2014-08-18
From: Little Bigelow Lean-to, ME

To: Pierce Pond Lean-to, ME
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: light rain

Although it was supposed to clear by yesterday afternoon, it rained again for much of the night. Fortunately, it was not raining by morning, although the sky was still overcast. Other than being wet and muddy, the terrain and trail were relatively easy today and we were able to make good time. Walking by Flagstaff Lake was pretty cool as there were wind created waves crashing on the beach and it sounded just like the ocean. At the end of the day, Pockets and I reached Pierce Pond Lean-to, which is located right on Pierce Pond. The view from the Lean To was spectacular and we met Von Frick and two other section hikers. Von Frick told us about the breakfast that Tim Harrison offers to Thru-hikers and that you had to walk over to his place and make a reservation for the morning. Pockets and I walked the three tenths of a mile to his place and met Tim and informed him we would be back for breakfast in the morning.
Date: 2014-08-19
From: Pierce Pond Lean-to, ME

To: Pleasant Pond Lean-to, ME
Miles today: 9.7

All during the night I heard Loons calling across the pond. We woke up and walked over to Tim Harrison's camp and I had a 14 pancake and egg breakfast and then hiked an easy 3 miles to the Kennebec River to catch the ferry. The ferry is basically a canoe that was manned by Hillbilly Dave who is paid by the ATC to shuttle hikers across the river safely. Fluctuations due to dam releases make fording the river very dangerous. Once across, Pockets and I made our way to the small town of Caratunk and then caught a ride to Northern Outdoor Center where she was going to catch a shuttle to Monson to meet her partner who had arrived from Switzerland. Pockets shuttle was not scheduled to arrive until 5:00 PM so we ordered lunch, but just after we ordered, her shuttle arrived and she had to leave early. I had lunch and then caught a 3:00 shuttle back to the trail. When I got to the trail head, there was a box of donuts sitting near the trail. When I opened the box, I noticed some ants on the two donuts left in the box, so I did what any seasoned Thru Hiker would have done. I picked off the ants and ate the donuts. I hiked 5.7 miles to the next shelter and I was feeling pretty good so I decided to push on and climb to the top of Pleasant Pond Mountain, which was another 1.1 miles and stealth camp on top. Near the top, I followed a white blaze that took me down on a fresh cut trail. I followed it and soon realized it was taking me back down the mountain in the direction where I had just came from. I was very angry because you never want to hike the same trail twice, especially if it involves a climb. At the shelter, I met Lotus and when I told her who I was, she said "Your name is Abear? I have only been hearing about you from Slim and Thor the Red for about a thousand miles" She informed me that both Slim and Thor the Red were just behind us. I decided to cut my losses and ended up staying at the Pleasant Pond Shelter with Lotus figuring that maybe there was a reason for my misadventure this afternoon. Blacksmith showed up later in the night.
Date: 2014-08-20
From: Pleasant Pond Lean-to, ME

To: Horeshoe Canyon Lean-to, ME
Miles today: 22.0

I left the shelter early to reclimb Pleasant Mountain to see where I might have went wrong and I realized that the trail was poorly marked and it was probably not my mistake after all. There was brush blocking the correct trail and there definitely was a white blaze leading to the left and eventually back down the mountain. I left a note in the trail pointing out the correct route and signed my name. Later in the day I climbed to the top of Moxie Mountain and caught my first view of Katahdin. I sat at the top for quite a while and three ladies who had day hiked to the top were impressed with my progress and gave me an apple, several snack bars and some trail mix. I didn't see another north bound hiker all day and when I reached the shelter after a 22 mile day, it was empty and there were no other campers in the area. Both Lotus and Blacksmith had indicated that they would be stopping here tonight, but they never showed. It was a little eerie being there all by myself.
Date: 2014-08-21
From: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to, ME

To: Shaws Hostel, Monson, ME
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: broken clouds

I was awake 4:00 AM so I decided to eat breakfast and left camp at 5:40. I was hoping to catch Pockets and Rebekka who would be entering the 100 mile wilderness at the location of the road crossing. I made it to the road into Monson at 8:40 AM in 3 hours and must have missed them by a matter of minutes. I called for a ride and got to Shaw's Hostel and did some laundry and resupplied for the 100 mile wilderness. Later in the day Thor the Red and many others showed up including Dependable Pete and it turned into a great reunion. I hadn't seen Thor the Red for over 1,000 miles. As it turns out, the shelter 9 miles behind the shelter I stayed in had about 15 hikers. All day long hikers at Shaw's were thanking me for the note I had left clarifying the trail route up to the top of Pleasant Mountain.
Date: 2014-08-22
From: Shaws Hostel, Monson, ME

To: Long Pond Stream Lean-to, ME
Miles today: 15.1

Today is the day that we entered the 100 mile wilderness. A sign at the entrance warns that you should pack at least 10 days of supplies but most NOBO Thru-Hikers only pack for 5 or 6 days. I had 6 days worth of supplies and would be following a pretty aggressive schedule that Lotus had plotted out. I liked her plan so I took a photo for reference. On the shuttle ride back to the trailhead, Thor the Red commented that he was nervous and it was interesting because that's how I was feeling at the time. I had butterflies in my stomach like I was wondering if I could do this. The true reason for the feelings of uneasiness may have been related to the fact that we knew this was the beginning of the end.Our shuttle was late in getting us to the trail so we ended up only doing 15 miles on our first day in the wilderness. There were 3 river fords and for the most part the terrain was not that difficult but at the same time not very scenic. At the shelter were Lotus, Thor the Red, Scout, UPS, Aqua Man, Toto, Ramblin Rose and Gazelle.
Date: 2014-08-23
From: Long Pond Stream Lean-to, ME

To: Carl Newman Lean-to, ME
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: broken clouds

Based on entries left in shelter log books by Pockets, I figured today would be the day that I caught her and her partner Rebekka on the trail. At 8:15, I got to a trail leading to Cloud Pond shelter 0.4 miles off of the trail. I looked for a note near the trail sign to see if Pockets had left some sort of indication as to their whereabouts. Normally, you never want to take a side trail that is that far (0.4 miles) off of the main trail, because it adds 0.8 miles to your hike. I did not see any notes and with the possibility that they were there, I had no choice but to hike down to the shelter to make sure that I didn't miss them. When I reached the shelter, I asked a man there and he said that I had just missed them by 10-15 minutes. Incidentally, the turn off to Cloud Pond is where Bill Bryson and Katz get separated in Bryson's book "A Walk in the Woods".I knew at that point I would catch Pockets and Rebekka later in the morning. I resumed my pursuit hoping to sneak up on them but at 10:45 as I was climbing Third Mountain, Pockets looked over the edge and said she knew it was me from a hundred yards off. I met Rebekka and we took a nice break. I ended up hiking with them for several miles to the top of Chair Back Mountain but I had to say my goodbyes and hike on because I still had many miles to go to meet my goal for the day. It was a sad departure because I knew I would most likely not see Pockets again for the rest of the trip. She and I had hiked together for over a thousand miles, had entered 11 of the 14 states on the same day, and the last seven states at the same time. Before I left, I gave Rebekka the trail name of Cerulean because she was wearing azure colored socks and matching shoe laces. She accepted the name and it is the 4th trail name I have given including Shea, Thor, and Tanager.On the way to camp, I received some trail magic at the Katahdin Iron Works Road, which I believe is the road where Bill Bryson and Katz ended their foray into the 100 mile wilderness. Later I was given sandwiches, cookies and snacks by some day hikers who were in awe that I had just crossed the 2,100 mile mark. We had the same group again at the shelter.
Date: 2014-08-24
From: Carl Newman Lean-to, ME

To: Cooper Falls Spring Lean-to, ME
Miles today: 18.9

The hike today was rather non-descript other than the fact that we climbed up the last major mountain (Whitecap Mountain) at mile mark 2112. I couldn't help but think of the lyric from the Prog rock group Rush album 2112 "We have assumed control, We have Assumed control"Thor the Red, Scout and a few others decided to push ahead to summit on the 27th, a day ahead of our planned schedule. It was only myself, Ramblin Rose, Toto, Lotus and Snapper at the shelter.
Date: 2014-08-25
From: Cooper Falls Spring Lean-to, ME

To: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to, ME
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I left camp and reached Jo Mary Road early in the morning. Pockets and Cerulean had told me about a cache of food that they had had hidden off of the road and gave me the directions to find it and get a beer from it. It took me a while, but I found the cache, took a beer and then hiked on. Down the trail I ran into Lily, a trail Angel who gave me another beer. At around lunchtime I came to a sand beach along a beautiful Maine Pond. The sun was shining bright and it was nice and warm so I walked down to the beach for a swim. As I rounded the bend, I saw two ladies laying face down in shallow water without a stitch on. I retreated they covered themselves up. I ended up having lunch and swimming and spent about 2 hours on the beach and drank the two beers that I had carried. It was a nice break, but unfortunately I still had many miles to make at the end of the day and the trail turned into rocky and root filled mess. I did get a great view of Katahdin later in the day. I swam in another pond late in the day jus!t before getting to camp.
Date: 2014-08-26
From: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to, ME

To: Hurd Brook Lean-to, ME
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: broken clouds

Early in the morning after leaving camp, I heard a voice behind me and looked back to see Slim who I knew was doing big miles to catch me. I was really excited to see Slim and it was not lost on me that this was not the first or second time that Slim has tracked me down but the third time. It made me feel really good that a person of Slim's character would work so hard to catch me. Slim indicated that after catching me he was just about out of gas and knew it was going to be a long day. Slim and I swam in Crescent Pond and later I swam in Pollywog stream, and later twice in Rainbow Lake, which was crystal clear and very refreshing on an unusually warm Maine afternoon. This ended up being my first 4 swim day. Everyone in camp knows that if I'm late for camp, it's because I've been swimming.I have been fortunate to swim in every state along the way.Near the end of the day I saw a other otter playing with her two cubs just below a beaver damShe saw me and grunted and then the cubs looked over at me and then they wandered off.At camp I stitched up my ripped up shoes with dental floss and a needle. I have been able to hike the entire trail with only two pairs of shoes.
Date: 2014-08-27
From: Hurd Brook Lean-to, ME

To: The Birches Lean-to, ME
Miles today: 13.4

The excitement of nearing the completion of this epic journey is almost to great to contain. We had only a short 13 mile day to get to Baxter State Park near the base of Mount Katahdin. We were also excited because just 3 miles in we would be reaching Abol bridge and a Camp store with the promise of sodas, snacks and ice cream. We spent about an hour at the store but didn't want to stay too long because we wanted to get to Baxter to greet Thor the Red and others as they came down off of Katahdin. The last 10 miles of the trail were as easy as any section of the trail I could remember. I even had time to swim in a water fall gouged pool. We reached the State Park and checked in with the Ranger. I ended up being number 341th Thru-Hiker registered to climb Katahdin. When I started in Georgia, it was probably after probably several thousand hikers had already started and I was number 569 at the halfway point near Harper's Ferry. It was really exciting watching our friends coming off of the mountain after completing their journey. UPS, Thor the Red, Scout, Aqua Man, Gazelle, and Snapper all finished today. We set up camp at the Birches Lean-To knowing that tonight was our last night on the trailAt the shelter were Ramblin Rose, Slim, Toto, Lotus Timon and a section hiker named Daisy.
Date: 2014-08-28
From: The Birches Lean-to, ME

To: Mount Katahdin and then The AT Lodge, ME
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Summit day broke with clear skies after some brief rain during the night.I didn't sleep too well during the night but it wasn't due to any anxiety I was feeling regarding this being the last day on the trail.I just couldn't sleep.The early morning forecast was good for our planned summit.Lotus had her Dad and Sister with her and they brought donuts.I stood in the pavilion of the park and stared up at the peak of Katahdin for almost 15 minutes and just soaked it all in.I could feel the emotion of the moment welling up inside of me.At about 7:45, I set off to climb the final peak and close the final chapter on this epic journey. The first third of the hike was flat and fairly easy. But the next portion involved some technical maneuvering with lots of hand climbing. There were a couple of points where the exposure made me a little uncomfortable. Slim, who was ahead of me told me that a woman hiking with her husband demanded that they turn around at this point. As I gotr higher up the mountain, the clouds started rolling in. Just past the initial false summit, the trail flattened out all the way to the summit. Near the very top, I began to make out the sign through the mist. Slim and Timon were already there when I reached the summit along with numerous day hikers. We took turns taking each others photos and we were soon joined by Lotus, Toto, Ramblin Rose and Daisy. I was surprised that I didn't break down like I thought I would emotionally. I celebrated with Slim by taking a shot of Fireball whiskey and then drank a beer given to me by Lotus' Dad. There were two Ravens hanging around near the sign looking for handouts and occasionally putting on aerial displays. After about an hour, the sun broke through and the views along the knife edge and to the floor of the valley were nothing short of spectacular. There were lakes for miles and miles around. I was thoroughly exhausted when I made my way back to the base campground where we celebrated our completion. Everyone easily caught a ride out and back to the town of Millinocket except for me as I was the odd man out. It took nearly 1.5 hours for me to hitch a ride into town. Vista and Garga Mel were at the AT Hostel so we all went out for pizza and beer.
Date: 2014-08-29
To: AT Lodge, Millinocket, ME
Miles today: 0.0

Due to the fact that I was late getting into Millinocket on the night before, I was unable to make travel plans, so I ended up staying another night at the AT Hostel. I had breakfast with Slim, Vista, Garga Mel, and Daisy (Daisy had tentatively accepted my suggested Trail Name of "Vintage" because she carried some outdated equipment) and said my goodbyes to the group. It was a quiet day and it left me time to get organized, clean out my pack and wash it so that I didn't gross out my fellow passengers on the plane. I was truly amazed that there were not more Thru Hikers around and I was feeling kind of lonely and I ended up going to dinner by myself because there was no one else around. Later in the evening, I was able to congratulate Digger, Hollywood, OOPs, Dependable Pete, and Dirt who all had summitted during the day.
From: Snickers Gap (weekend at home in Springfield, VA)

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

e 2: back on the trail at Snickers around 9 AM. Walked 22 miles to the far end of the C&O canal towpath. Was going to walk farther, but I saw clearing right next to the river was some flat spots for tents. Since it was after 8 o'clock, decided to set up while it was still light. Was decent weather, purchased a new pair of shoes (La Sportiva trail runners). While I think they will work out fine, breaking them in on the trail was probably not a brilliant idea. However, my other shoes were pretty well played out. Both cushion and treadwear gone. Also starting to come apart in spots. Got my money's worth out of them, thousand miles or so. Very scenic walk today, crossed the Potomac River bridge at Harpers Ferry. Walked into town, a lot of history here. Everyone stops at the AT conservancy to "register" as a through-hiker. They take your picture, assign you a number, and (?) Not sure what they do with it¢¦ They advised us that it is not a good idea to camp around there¢¦ It is not legal. Was considering just stretching out and cowboy-camping somewhere, but it looked like it might rain. So I find myself in a tent sandwiched between the Potomac River and a noisy railroad. Will try to think of it as "white-noise". All part of the fun. Finished the audiobook "thank you for your service", and started in on war and peace. After an hour or two, it just wasn't catching me. I ended up switching to Watership Down, which I find much more interesting. What can I say, child-like attention span. I loaded up this iPod with lots of Audiobooks, Podcasts, and some music. Should be good for another month or so¢¦ Spoke with my friend Al, we anticipate linking up in a week or so. It was interesting to look at the hiker book at the Conservancy, and see all of our friends from the trail that have passed through.
Date: 2014-02-17
From: Springer Mountain, GA

To: Mount Katahdin, Baxter State Park, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Greetings, this is the first of what is likely to be many blog entries as I prepare for my through-hike on the Appalachian Trail with my good friend, Al Willner. We picked up the hobby back in 2001 with a series of hikes as boy scout leaders, and have often discussed taking a stab at walking the whole trail. Over the last year or so, we¢ve been fine-tuning our gear (weighing and replacing the heavier items), doing a lot of reading, and starting to otherwise prepare to be gone for perhaps as long as six months. The books we¢ve read¢¦ while anyone who hears we¢re planning this venture asks if we¢ve read Bill Bryson¢s ¢Walk in the Woods¢ (yes), the ones I¢ve found most helpful are listed below. AWOL on the Appalachian Trail by David Miller http://www.amazon.com/AWOL-Appalachian-Trail-David-Miller-ebook/dp/B003JMFKRE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1392696594&sr=1-1&keywords=awol+on+the+appalachian+trailAppalachian Trials: The Psychological and Emotional Guide to Successfully Thru-Hiking The Appalachian Trail by Zach Davishttp://www.amazon.com/Appalachian-Trials-Psychological-Successfully-Thru-Hiking-ebook/dp/B0074U5L58/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1392696594&sr=1-4&keywords=awol+on+the+appalachian+trailUltralight Backpackin' Tips: 153 Amazing & Inexpensive Tips for Extremely Lightweight Camping by Mike Clelland http://www.amazon.com/Ultralight-Backpackin-Tips-Inexpensive-Lightweight-ebook/dp/B00D2HU5OO/ref=pd_sim_kstore_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1ZNHG52W6H4MEQ03ZBRFFixing Your Feet: Prevention and Treatments for Athletes by John Vonhof http://www.amazon.com/Fixing-Your-Feet-Prevention-Treatments/dp/0899976387/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1392697055&sr=1-1&keywords=fixing+your+feet+4th+editionEndurance Sports Nutrition-3rd Edition by Suzanne Girard Eberlehttp://www.amazon.com/Endurance-Sports-Nutrition-3rd-Suzanne-Girard/dp/1450432158/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1392697127&sr=1-2&keywords=nutrition+for+endurance+athletesI am also inspired by Andrew Skurka¢s advice on how to hike a ¢fast¢ thru-hike, which I try to read frequently, for inspiration. http://andrewskurka.com/2006/how-to-hike-a-fast-thru-hike/ While I intend to enjoy every (well, at least most) moment of this adventure, I am limited on available time. Finally, our current plan is to step onto the trail at Springer Mountain, GA on March 19th. So barring any major set-backs, we¢re hoping to hit Mount Katahdin in Baxter State Park ME during the tail-end of August. Next time, I¢ll go over some of our gear considerations.