morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-09-21
From: Andover, ME; Pine Ellis Hostel

To: Black Brook Campsite
Miles today: 10.1

Today turned out ok! Stayed in bed til 7:30, got showered and packed, went to PO and Red Hen for breakfast, talked to Cindy Dube, got back to Pine Ellis (hostel) w/30 min til 10. I would make the 10:00 shuttle, therefore only costing $4 instead of $12 for a later shuttle! I tried to call Too Late and Too Soon, charged my phone back up, checked Facebook (for the 2nd time since march! ,) my TJ and email then porch sat for 15 with Crafty and Just Lisa. She and John are flip-flopping today and headed for Milliknocket! I would love their company but will look forward to crossing paths again! By 10:30 Crafty, Man Dog and I were hiking. Great gradual up¢s, flatness and weather-wonderful! I tired quick though and moved slow until the 1st shelter 6 mi in. Knees were bad pretty early on and really hurt the last 4 mi. Even though I wasn¢t ¢feelin it¢ it was only 2pm and I needed to hike on. Must get 10 to the base of the next climb! SOBO¢s told me there¢s really no campsites until the next shelter, 8+ mi, so 10 was perfect! Got set up and all, had eaten by 7 and did the wind down. LT lined up a coat and Twizzler is all over it! So kind to spend the time they do! I did some exact math and created, I think, a do~able plan! It¢s tight but it came out on 10/9! I¢ll have to do more to get a bad weather day or 2 at Katahdin. Game on! I¢m alone by a pond/brook and ready for a good nights rest after 2 lousy sleeps in the city!
Date: 2010-09-22
From: Black Brook Campsite

To: Bemis Stream
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: light rain

Today I started off pretty well at camp then soon after the hike/climb began. I felt so tired. Not good right off the bat. 6 months I¢ve been out here today! Yet I still managed to think ¢It¢ll take me forever to climb this!¢ What else could I do? Keep walkin¢! About 1 mi or so in I hear him¢¦ the bull moose I wound up seeing! He was HUGE! I can¢t believe how big! I choked and cut the video off damn it, but I think I got a little. That really helped my spirits and energy!! Up and over I went (again) when I saw Country Gold! Nice visit-he is decked out in new gear! Head to toe! Great views on Bemis and Old Blue! Fall is definitely here! Wow! Seems like it happened overnight! No more green sea! They are the famous mixture of fall now! Awesome! Was hoping for 14 or 15 today ¢¦I thought I had 13-14 in when I stopped at the stream with a some great sites, but I was wrong! Ha! Seems I¢d only done 12.5 mi. Oh well-it is my trailiversary! It¢s a wonderful spot! Relax¢¦ENJOY it! I stopped at 5! Got all the chores done, enjoyed relaxing and am about ready to crash. Its almost 8. I think tomorrow¢s terrain will be fairly easy-I hope!
Date: 2010-09-23
From: Bemis Stream

To: Rangeley,ME/Town & Lake Motel
Miles today: 13.9

So I got up and going-a great start to the day. A short climb was quickly out of the way and I was off! Thought I heard a moose by Long Pond but scared him off! A great morning with 9.5 mi would bring me to the shelter where Lowrider (LR¢r) should have stayed last night! I was so excited to see him back in the woods! I knew he missed it terribly. It was great to find him waiting there-I wasn¢t sure where I¢d catch him! It was 12:30 and only 4.5 mi to town! We visited, he packed and we were off! By 2:30-3 we were there! So quick! It was great to be moving fast again! We tried hitching but with no luck starting walking. Then we see Papa Rose go by, the OTHER way! Turns out he was taking Big R back to the trail, then turned around and headed back-right past us! Yea!! He and his wife are so kind. He¢s out here hiking and doing magic as she hangs out at the little cabin, relaxes and does her own trail magic! They (and Roscoe the dog) drove us around until we landed here. Then we borrowed the motel owner¢s truck for IGA, laundry and the Pub for dinner! After shuffling and packing I finally laid to sleep about midnight. That happens EVERY time! Turner had Montbell ship my coat to the outfitter so tomorrow morning I¢ll pick it up and hit the PO to send my fleece home and see if my Mtn Hse/goodie box arrives from Turner!
Date: 2010-09-24
From: Rangeley,ME/Town & Lake Motel

To: Rangeley,MC/Town & Lake Motel
Miles today: 0.0

Today¢s been awesome! Got up at 7 and started shuffling. It rained all night and is still coming down lightly LR¢r noticed the sea plane sign next door to us here on the lake¢¦hmmm¢¦We went up to the outfitter and decided to take a zero. We shopped a bit, called the sea plane guy¢¦had to leave a message, hit the PO (no food yet) and headed back. Keith called back regarding the plane ride¢¦it¢s a go! You only live once right?! If you¢re gonna do, do it right! All set for 8:30-10:00 tomorrow-the moose hunt tour! Cool!! Talked to LT a good bit, may hike the Shenny¢s after Halloween! Got word from Ups-they¢re here in town at the Red Onion! We walked right over and joined them for lunch! The rain had begun again and came down hard! Then it quit as we hoped/seen forecasted! Ran into Thin Mint, Ziggy and T-Bone-she saw my letter at the hostel (which I originally intended on staying at) and will get it for me-cool!! Hung at the room while the others ran around, which I very much enjoyed! I just laid in bed! TV was on but more a distraction. It felt great to let my bones rest on the softness! Before I long I found myself being pulled to the ice cream shop conveniently located across the street! 1 soft cone choc and vanilla swirl and 1 quart of Maine Blueberry please! They¢re all back after borrowing the truck and U&S¢s are staying next door. She¢s going to make dinner since they wound up with a kitchenette! Plane ride in the am with a moose hunt! Then 11-some mil to the shelter. 1 biggie of the last 4 will be climbed and conquered! Life is so very good on the AT!!
Date: 2010-09-25
From: Rangeley,MC/Town & Lake Motel

To: Redington Stream Campsite
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a great day! Woke and got things ready for after the plane ride then headed next door for our ride! It was absolutely incredible! The leaves, water and mtns were awesome! We saw several moose!! Then we landed on a pond for a quick break then started our way back. The moose tracks in 1 of the ponds were too cool! What a time!! We got back just before 11, packed up and headed out. To the PO-Bob got my box but didn¢t leave it, within minutes he was there to deliver it! Then he shuttled us back to the trail! He spends most of his days carting stinky hikers all over-thank you Bob!! Trail Angels-you are all such a blessing to each and every hiker! On trail, just off the road we ran into Whiskey Slim! He¢s a great guy and it¢s always nice to see him! He¢s planning a big day¢¦I hope he hikes with care! Off we went up big ol¢ Saddleback! It wasn¢t too bad but by the time we got above tree line the wind sure was blowing!! We checked out the 360 degree view then headed for the Horn. At that summit, the weather moved in-FULL force! No view and CRAZY wind (worst yet!) I wish I knew how fast it was! I had to lean like crazy so I wouldn¢t fall over! We decided to save the 3rd hump (also above tree line) for tomorrow. Made it to the campsite just before dark and did our deal. It is fun to be back with LR¢r! I¢m so glad for him too! It was a rough 8 mi but one hell of a great day on the AT!!
Date: 2010-09-26
From: Redington Stream Campsite

To: Spaulding Mtn Lean to
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a wet one! Woke up to misting rain and thought it would clear up... it never did and is still raining! We slowly packed up and hit the trail about 9. Over Saddleback Jr and down, down, down, then up, over and up the Spaulding Range. LR¢r was feeling it, now back hiking 7 days after 3 months off, so we took our time. Not many stealth options with the elevation so we stopped here at 10 mi. I¢d like to slackpack Big and Little Bigelow so I may push the 14 to Stratton but also may wind up stopping 2-3 mi short and stealthing if the terrain is really bad. Wish I¢d already called Susan Smith for slackpacking options¢¦but I didn¢t! Forecast for tomorrow is same as today which is a bummer but oh well! At least it was a misty rain all day. Best rain you can have I guess. U&SW¢s are ahead now and I think LB, Shags, Sanman, Chili and Pepper are still behind. I hope TM, Ziggy and TBone are behind and she has my card from mom. We¢ll see. It¢s just after 8 so another early night! Yea!
Date: 2010-09-27
From: Spaulding Mtn Lean to

To: Carrabassett River
Miles today: 5.1

Today was a pretty good day on the AT! I decided to take a 12 day!! It was a wet morning but we had some company this morning, 2 section hikers from Alaska! LR¢r enjoyed his coffee and dry clothes for a couple more minutes while I took that famous last break before blast off! We couldn¢t tell if it was misting or if it was the clouds! Either way it was light! We headed out and up! It was still foggy on the summit of Spaulding Mtn but as we began the descent it starting clearing up a little! It was challenging at the start but before long the sun started peeking out and we coming down into a valley SURROUNDED by incredible mtns¢¦all of them well into their autumn change! It was beautiful!!! Once at the bottom we came to the Carrabassett River and was wonderful! Big, huge rocks and a great spot for lunch with an amazing view! The rain had finally let up for while, thank goodness! As I enjoyed the lunch break I turned to the north bank that rose 20¢ and imagined the great campsites that must be up there. It was 1 mi to a campsite, we intended to pass, then another 5 miles to the other side of Crocker where we were sure to score flat ground for the night¢¦I decided to check out the sites and yep-perfect! It was a great area with several sites and a nice fire pit! The rain was done, my friend is out with me, we¢ve got water¢¦it was too pretty! I decided to stop short and ENJOY!! Lowrider certainly had no problems with the new plan! We¢d set up and build a nice fire! How fun! Unfortunately, just as we had spewed everywhere to dry things out the rain returned. It was a light rain, so LR¢r decided to go on a moose hunt down the river! I chose to sleep. Of course I farted around with my maps and stuff for a bit but I did get to sleep for a bit. LR¢r returned and we did dinner. His hammock and tarp set up provided a nice shelter for the rain!! We enjoyed the evening, views and company! Life is good
Date: 2010-09-28
From: Carrabassett River

To: Stratton,ME/Stratton Motel & Hostel
Miles today: 8.4

Today was a very good day on the AT!! Although it never did quit raining, it wasn¢t a crazy down pour thank goodness! LR¢r decided to take a short cut and hit the road .5 from camp. It should be an easier day terrain~wise¢¦and it was! Yea!! It was a very wet but quick 2 miles up S. Crocker, rocks and all! Then a quick, muddy mile over to the N. Crocker Peak! Visibility was nil¢¦white and wet! Then came the 5 mi descent to my shuttle, Stratton, a roof with a door and LR¢r! I called Susan and she told me there was a good signal at the road, call her when I get there! Cool! The descent was one of the best walks on the trail! It was long, and wet! But it was amazing! There are still green leaves down here! The mixture changed with elevation, a never~ending mural really¢¦the colors rolling through the hills as I pass through so quietly¢¦this is amazing¢¦truly! What a gift!I got to the road, called Susan and while waiting met Boston Dan who was there to hike south and meet Sanman and Wondering Jew! No kidding, I say! They¢re with LB and Shags and are camping tonight where we did last night! They¢re only 8 miles behind!! What a fun surprise! Boston Dan hiked the first 12 of the trail and had to leave so they¢ll have a great reunion! So Susan and LR¢r arrived and we headed to the room, about 5 miles down the road. It was a great little place and she also had a hostel set up! We spewed our stuff everywhere to dry! I¢m especially grateful to have a roof and shelter from this rain! We headed across the street to dinner at the local pub and feasted! The motel/hostel was quiet, only 1 other hiker who wasn¢t very social. I farted with my gear some more and called several folks. Then I crawled in bed for ice cream and a little tele! I¢m all set to hike out tomorrow but now the boys (aka Three Assmigo¢s) will be rolling in¢¦do I want to zero and wait for them...or hike out and take 2 easy day¢s to let them catch me or just hike out and go! Let them catch me when they do! Let¢s see about the weather¢¦
Date: 2010-09-29
From: Stratton,ME/Stratton Motel & Hostel

To: Stratton,ME/Stratton Motel & Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

Great day! Woke up and got packed-found out Boston Dan, Sanman, LB, Shags, Jew, Bubba Bee and Puck would all be into town today! Susan took LR¢r and I to the Moose Caf© to join Sanman and Dan. I soon decided to slack the 17 tomorrow w/LB, Shags and Sanman¢¦that means a zero!! LB & Shags and the rest will hike into Stratton today; Sanman¢s skipping it to hang out with Dan. Back to the motel via Dan, I got in my comfy¢s and the four of us headed out for a drive... We stopped on a lake and REALLY enjoyed the scenic ride!! When we got back the whole gang rolled in, I ate some ice cream and reunited with everyone! Showered, napped a minute, over to White Wolf, the fancy joint, for burgers! We all bought treats-cookie dough for me-mom can¢t stop me now! Ha! We hung a bit, I made arrangements with LT, packed for our slackpack-17 miles!! Hope it¢s a dry a little! So excited to be pack free! LR¢r talked to Boston Dan and now has a way home! The logistics were not working out¢¦then the trail provided! I¢m ready to get a good nights rest, get up and hike Bigelow! It¢s already 9:30!   187 miles to Katahdin!!!!
Date: 2010-09-30
From: Stratton,ME/Stratton Motel & Hostel

To: E Flagstaff Rd/Stratton Motel & Hostel
Miles today: 16.7

Slackpacked 16.7 today then back to Stratton Motel & Hostel, will take off tomorrow with pack again from E Flagstaff Rd, to the NORTH!Written entry:Slackpacked, LR¢r left with Boston Dan, shared room with LB, Shags and Sanman, got tavern carryout. After hiking we found a new crew had rolled in: She-Ra and Mr. Smee, Chili and Pepper, Rockefeller, Burl and I met Bismarck and Blue Skies!
Date: 2010-10-02
From: Stealth camp by Carrying River

To: Pleasant Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: scattered clouds

SO! I am at Northern Outdoors in Caratunk! It's a brewery, restaurant and has a pool and hot tub! Unfortunately time will not allow for the extras! We got up and out early as we needed to get to the ferry by 10:30! Thank goodness the terrain wasn't too bad and we made it in time. We originally would have had 3 miles but since we were cut short we had to do 6.5! I can't believe I have crossed the Kennebuc River folks! What a moment! I've been reading about that for years and today my turn came!! Pretty special for me! Sniff, sniff We have full bellies and hopefully I can get these guys out of here soon (LB, Shags and Sanman) so we can get to our destination (shelter about 6 miles from here) and get our gear out and drying! Hopefully the rain has passed and the forecast for 4 days of SUNSHINE holds true! It has been sunny all day and it's spectacular!! We are diehards for taking off yesterday! The motel was filled with many who decided to 0! Ok, need to go pack up the food Turner sent to the PO (thanks chic!) I should be in Monson Monday AM!! What a long strange trip it's been!
Date: 2010-10-03
From: Pleasant Pond Lean-to

To: Moxie Bald Lean-to
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Summary: Sunny! Cold Socks in AM! Brrr! Waist deep ford across Baker STREAM, water logged trail! Roots, rocks and now TONS of water! After booting up and freezing, Sanman made me a hot choc then I took off! Unfortunately it was the wrong trail! It didn¢t take long before I realized I hadn¢t seen this before and turned around! LB said they¢re shooting for 25 today! Yikes! A rough start! Did I mention FROZEN toes?? Freaking brrrrr!!! As I get back to the shelter, I learn LB was kidding! Quite the joker! Ha!! Thank goodness though, what a relief!! Off and up the right trail now, I trucked along-now my toes have feeling! Better! Much better! Sweet! Up and down to Moxie Pond, took a break then found the ford! Baker STREAM?? Really? This one really deserves a bridge! A SOBO appeared and came across and waited for me to cross. I was so grateful since I would not have attempted that alone! The gang¢s behind-he¢ll tell them he saw me and they¢ll know I made it across fine. I marched right along for 11 miles, even with breaks I was moving! I took a long break to eat and ring out my socks! I should be seeing the gang soon¢¦As I got close to the shelter I pitted for water, .5 or less later I arrived at the short side trail to the shelter. I debated my plan for sometime. The SOBO said he had to detour around our next big ford! Would we be able to ford it? What¢s the best way to a road? I studied my map, where is the gang? Did they detour at the LAST road knowing we might have to ahead? Should I press on to get another couple miles in? Should I just wait here for the gang?? This shelter was cool in that it was on Bald Mtn Pond, although I¢d call that a lake! It also had plenty of room and an old, semi~stable, picnic table right by the water! I think I¢ll stay¢¦It was 4:30 so I would get to bed early and maybe the gang will roll in. As I was setting up my tent I heard someone¢¦Sanman! The others were right behind! I¢m still shocked that I stayed that far ahead of them! I was glad to see them and they didn¢t detour at the road! I wished we¢d gotten further but either way¢¦only 15 miles to Monson! The LAST TOWN!! HOLY SHIT! The ¢last¢s¢ have begun! This gig is almost up! HOLY SHIT! We all made dinner by the water and soaked up the sunset. It was a very enjoyable, dry evening! 132.4 miles to Katahdin!
Date: 2010-10-04
From: Moxie Bald Lean-to

To: MONSON,ME!
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: broken clouds

3 fords! Bald Mtn Stream or Swamp, rather! West and East Piscataquis River HOLY SHIT! I¢m in bed at the Shaw¢s, in Monson!! I can¢t believe it! I am so excited! I¢m gonna do this! ALL of it! Hiking was tough today in that I was trying to hurry but the terrain was amazingly easy! Thank goodness for that too! I struggled so I¢m really grateful. It¢s a muddy mess out there! 3 big fords too! I was a swampy, exhausted mess so Sanman I and blue blazed via the old AT into town and took Pleasant street into Monson. It took us right to The Shaw¢s. Shaw¢s is a the famous last stop on the AT! It¢s a hostel, boarding house and is well known for it¢s famous all you can eat breakfast for $7!! It was a great sight! Everyone was rolling in too! What fun!! We spewed our stuff, got Mtn Dew¢s and soda¢s, showered and walked to the gas station grill. Got snacks and dinner, came back, ate, laundry, called LT, mom and Cindy Dube then visited. Now it¢s 9:55! Gonna finish my ice cream and crash! We¢re gonna slack 15 tomorrow! We¢ll also enter the famous 100 miles wilderness!! SWEET!!! 114.5 miles to go!
Date: 2010-10-05
From: MONSON,ME!

To: Monson,ME/Long Pond Stream
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: clear sky

THIS IS IT FOLKS! Ripple made it into Monson,ME on Monday and stayed at the Shaw's hostel both Monday and Tuesday night. However, they didn't zero, but opted to slack pack 15 miles out of Monson on Tue and got a ride back into town, then shuttle back out to Long Pond Stream Wed morning. Monson is basically last stop to summiting Katahdin and the gateway to Maine's "100 mile wilderness". I may be able to post an update on mileage and location before Katahdin, but not counting on it. Apparently this is a "dead zone" with no cell service and mostly logging and forest roads. She's hiking with LB, Sanman and Shags through the wilderness and likely to summit with them and maybe several others. Sounds like there's a lot of hikers within a day behind/ahead of her and they might have a good group summiting together. Possible summit date of Tue 10/12. Weather is a factor here and they can "close" access to Mt Katahdin if too dangerous. In this case, they'll likely go into Millinocket,ME to wait for clear weather then shuttle into finish. Anywho, looks like about a week for Ripple to have her picture taken with that infamous sign My handwritten entry:Late start, shuttled North for a SOBO slack pack! It was 1 mi to the AT but it was great weather! Several breaks the 1st 1/2! Saw TM & Ziggy at the first shelter with Mike and Laura, T-Bone and Gummy Bear. Terrain didn¢t seem too bad, just slow going. 3 fords: 1-light current, 1 w/2 ropes of no value and 1 with a tree we could climb across. Thank goodness they were knee deep or less! Ran into Gonzo and Bear Blaze which was nice! After just missing LB at our last shelter and break we hiked on just as Shags arrived! Cool, we were all close together! We were pushing daylight and knew we¢d be night hiking, but hurried none the less! Sanman and I only hiked 34 mi in the dark before we popped out of the woods to the trailhead where LB had already called Dawn for our shuttle! Long day! Got to see Two of a Kind though at the last shelter which was great! They had a good summit and are enjoying their leisurely hike south. Back to Shaw¢s, Sanman went to the Mobil for food, I checked the weather on the computer and my TJ, we ate then I showered up, talked to LT & Twizzler, went over food and made my list for the AM. I¢m very tired, the ice cream¢s almost gone, I¢ll get the laundry (just dirty wet socks ) out of the dryer, check the fan on our boots and will be excited to sleep! 15 long ones coming tomorrow over Barren and the Chairbacks-so very glad we¢ll be slacking it!!   99.4 miles!!
Date: 2010-10-06
From: Monson,ME/Long Pond Stream

To: Monson,ME/Katahdin Iron Works Logging Rd
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: overcast clouds

3.5 mi up Barren, good-chilly weather, roller coaster, went well, few breaks, up Fourth Mtn, then Third Mtn, up Columbus and the rain began. It was 3 and stayed light really until 6 then it picked up but wasn¢t terrible. Felt pretty good all day! Saw TM and the gang at Chairback Lean To. John the shuttle and cook picked us up just after 7. Glad we made it on time-7:03! We were soaked but excited for our ride to town and roof for the night. Changed into ¢Shaw clothes¢ and ate. Mr. Smee, She Ra, Turtle, Rockefeller, Pierre, Chili and Pepper and poor, sick Bubba Bee had all arrived at the Shaw¢s plus another 10 or so at the Lake Shore House! Hikers were taking over the town!! I visited briefly and started my ice cream which I wound up finishing while I was at last in my bed and horizontal! 84.1 miles remain! It is unreal how close this is to being over! 5 days to Katahdin and the campground! I met Keith Shaw Jr at the Mobil (we called in our order on the ride back to town the picked it up, resupplied, got cash and Mtn Dew!) I should also take a moment to add that every morning at the Shaw¢s has in fact included this so called AYCE breakfast! Holy smokes!! They do not mess around! Eggs, however we want, pancakes or French toast, potatoes and meat-all you can eat indeed! I can only imagine the food they go thru with all of us and our ENORMOUS appetites! God love ¢em! It is such fun too with everybody all gathered each morning¢¦what a way to go out!