morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-09-18
From: ME 27, Stratton, ME

To: Horns Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 5.1

Be sure to read the previous entry to learn about Tom before reading on.I'd stayed up late the night before watching the NFL game. I was rooting for Chicago and happy to see they won. The other three hikers had called it a night and it gave Tom and I a chance to chat alone. He was surprised to learn I was 50 years old.Even with staying up late I awoke around 6:00 AM. It wasn't until about 30 minutes later I rolled out of bed and headed upstairs. The coffee was ready like Tom had promised. He was making jokes about my not being able to sleep in. And despite two beers, a glass of wine and a scotch on the rocks the night before, I felt fine. Tom was working on breakfast and I my journal while sipping coffee. As the other hikers came out of their rooms, Tom took their made to order eggs preference. Of course I skipped the eggs and he was fine with this. When he called us to the breakfast table, the table was loaded. There were blueberry waffles, sausage links, hash browns, bread for toast, yogurts, fruits, orange juice and he brought eggs to my hiker buddies. Oh, I can't forget to mention the Vermont syrup. None of that cheap stuff we usually buy back home. He didn't join us for breakfast. He was busy doing chores as he was expecting five more hikers this evening.For breakfast I had four blueberry waffles (big ones!), seven sausage links, two servings of hash browns and lots of coffee. I used a fair amount of the Vermont syrup too. What a breakfast! He asked what time we'd like to head back to the trail and we said 10:30 AM. Until then all us hikers relaxed and did little things in preparing to hike again. As Tom drove us back to the trail he said if we have any problems from here to Mount Katahdin to call him. He'd either come get us personally or make sure we were taken care of. Although I'd only known Tom for less than a day, I was sad to say farewell. You don't meet people like this too often and it'd be great to have his friendship in life. Thanks so much Tom for giving us hikers a wonderful experience we'll cherish the rest of our lives. Keep up with the trail magic with future hikers my friend. Best wishes to you and your four-legged friends.Tom left the trailhead with another hiker that just came out of the woods. That hiker had no idea what was in store for him. We returned to hiking and we only went five miles. It was uphill with a full resupply and I was overflowing with breakfast. For book followers, mile 2,007.8, page 206.
Date: 2018-09-19
From: Horns Pond Lean-to

To: West Carry Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: clear sky

Today I hiked over the Bigelow Mountains. These would be the last of the 4,000 feet peaks until reaching Mount Katahdin. Maine was getting easier by the day and our moods were showing it.The group I've been hiking with is called a 'tramily' on the trail. The word comes from combining the two words trail and family. In a tramily you watch out for each other. A tramily can last a short time or a long time. I've seen some that were formed in week one and are still going strong. Having put the big mountains behind us we were in a playful mood. When we came upon East Flagstaff Lake we took some time to enjoy the shoreline. I tought my friends how to skip rocks like we do in Ohio at Lake Erie. Red Bard seemed to enjoy the challenge of the game. I wandered the shoreline since it reminded me of home. At one point I searched for two pieces of driftwood to make a set of moose antlers for a funny photo. We played around for about an hour before resuming hiking.At the shelter while having dinner I was making a tortilla wrap with cheese and pepperoni. The temperature is cool enough to pack these items. If you recall, Red Bard can play six musical instruments. When I was sealing up my pouch of cheese I put the package to my mouth to suck all the excess air out before sealing it. This caused a whistling sound to come from my mouth. Red Bard said what do you call that instrument? Being quick witted and it being swiss cheese, I said with a don't you know kind of tone in my voice, "a swissle". We all busted out laughing! It was a fitting end to a fun-filled great day of adventure.For book followers, mile 2,025.7 page 207.
Date: 2018-09-20
From: West Carry Pond Lean-to

To: US 201, Caratunk, ME
Miles today: 14.0

The adventure today included a unique situation. The Kennebec River needed to be crossed. There was no bridge and fording the river is dangerous. A hiker drowned here earlier this year attempting to swim across. We needed to be at the river by 2:00 PM to use the ferry service to cross the river. We were there by noon. A volunteer with a three person canoe awaits any hikers needing to cross. Bugz and I went across first and I sat upfront paddling away. The guy in the back controlled the direction of travel. Before long my tramily was safely across.On the other side of the river was the small town of Caratunk. There was a package awaiting me at the small post office from my great friends. Thank you Mike and Jenny for your support of my adventure. There was so much in the care package that I shared a few items with my tramily. We hung out at a hostel and ate lunch since the post office didn't open until 2:00 PM. We'd had an early start to ensure arriving to the ferry and then sitting around for a while none of us wanted to resume hiking. We did some research and found a lodge two miles away that had a room for $100. We were going to split it four ways. When we got there by hitching I found out we were misquoted over the phone. It was $80 with the hiker discount. There was a menu at the check-in and food prices were high. So when we checked into the room with three beds I told my tramily the room was on me and they could spend there money on food and the in-house brewery. I'd spent way more on a room for just me during the adventure so it was a great time for some on-trail trail magic. Plus I liked these three and was hoping to hike to Mount Katahdin as a group. After dinner I spent time updating my journal while the other three enjoyed the outdoor hot tub. I even did our laundry so they could relax. When they came back to the room they were definitely recharged. Red Bard was happy to take the floor since there were only three beds. He slept on his sleeping pad. We needed this day of recharge because the weather forecast for the next couple of days wasn't desirable for hiking.For book followers, mile 2,039.7 page 210.
Date: 2018-09-21
From: US 201, Caratunk, ME

To: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 14.7

I had a huge breakfast at the lodge this morning. I did a double order of blueberry pancakes equating to six with eight slices of bacon and countless cups of coffee. It all went down fairly easily. I really enjoy the hiker hunger phenomenon. I can eat whatever and as much as I want and still lose weight. I burn more calories each day while hiking than I'm consuming. Unfortunately, breakfast ending up being the best part of today.The weather was cloudy and windy when we setup to hitch back to the trailhead. We had no luck for half and hour. That's when Robinhood left on his own and starting walking back to the trail. It was at this point that it started to drizzle and the hopes of a good weather day went down the drain. Bugz went back into the lodge and persuaded them to give us a shuttle back to the trail. After a short wait we were on our way and picked-up Robinhood on the side of the road. The drizzle progressed to a light rain as we disappeared down the trail.For most of the hiking day it rained and the temperature steadily dropped. If it were up to me I'd have taken a rest day and stayed another day at the lodge. But we moved together now as a tramily. I arrived at the shelter, changed into dry clothes, and crawled into my sleeping bag by 5:30 PM. I needed to get warm. I never left my sleeping bag until the following morning. I skipped dinner opting to remain snuggled within a warm place. Tomorrow would be another day and I was hoping for better weather. For book followers, mile 2,054.4 page 211.
Date: 2018-09-22
From: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to

To: ME 15, Monson, ME
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: broken clouds

When I awoke this morning I'd been in my cozy sleeping bag for just over 12 hours. Looking out of the shelter I could see it was not raining but it was still chilly. And the wind was really whipping the trees around. Although I'd be putting on wet clothes from the day before, once the hiking started I'd warm up. When we hit the trail I was almost hit by a falling tree branch. I never seen it come down but I did hear it. The hiker behind me said it missed me by about an inch. I took a look over my shoulder and would guess the branch was the size of a broom stick. Luck was on my side to start the day.We had a new first today on the adventure. I had to remove my shoes and socks twice to ford two rivers. Although the current wasn't strong, the river bottom was loaded with slippery rocks. I wore my rubber camp sandles and avoided the embarrassment of falling into the water. In fact, we all made it across just fine. The sun was out all day but the winds never ceased. I didn't mind this since we were aiming for a 22 mile day to get to the town of Monson. The high winds kept it cool making for great hiking weather.The town of Monson would be our last stop before entering a stretch of trail know as the 100 mile wilderness. I'd need to carry enough food to last the entire 100 miles. I was also looking forward to some town food and the comfort of a real bed before entering the wilderness. Three of us reached the main road leading to Monson apart five minutes apart. Robinhood didn't show up for another half hour. We now had to position ourselves for a hitch into town, about four miles.Within 10 minutes a white SUV pulled over. Inside were four middle-aged women that were heading into town for a nice dinner. They were appropriately dressed for the occasion. Perhaps it was to have a story to tell, but they said they could squeeze the four of us into the SUV. I volunteered to get crammed into the hatchback compartment with three of our backpacks. It was not comfortable but I was happy to endure the tight quarters to get to town. They dropped us off and took a group photo of us to validate the story they'd be sure to tell their friends.We found our way to a small restaurant and I ordered a bowl of French onion soup, a cheese steak sandwich and fries. The soup was sure to warm me up as I was now chilly wearing shorts and a t-shirt and no longer hiking. By the time we were done eating the sun had set. Lucky for us the restaurant was also a small hostel and we paid $25 for a bunk. We were all in the same room that held exactly four bunks. After taking a shower I relaxed on the couch. Next thing I know Red Bard wakes me up and says its time for bed. The long 22 mile day had worn me out and I'd fallen asleep. For book followers, mile 2,076.4 page 214.
Date: 2018-09-23
From: ME 15, Monson, ME

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

The adventure is down to only 114.5 miles to go. April seems so far away and yet I'm having trouble believing the end is near. Today I entered the 100 mile wilderness. This stretch of trail does not cross a frequently traveled road. Therefore, I had to resupply in Monson with enough food for six days. That was our plan, to do the 100 miles in six days. The terrain in this stretch is easy compared to what I've already been through but the extra food in my pack meant a heavy pack to start with.For breakfast I had a Hostess apple pie and two locally made cookies. Not the best foods to eat but the calories were high. When we arrived at the trailhead Bugz realized she'd forgot her trekking poles back at the restaurant/hostel. While we waited for her to backtrack I met a gentleman in the parking lot that was wearing an Air Force hat. He retired from the Air Force and we had a small chat of our shared military service. He and his wife were hiking a small section of the trail in each of the 14 states the trail passes through.It was a long day of hiking seeing as my backpack was heavy. I didn't arrive at the shelter until 6:35 PM. Although a spot was available, I opted to setup my tent. I ate dinner and was in my tent by 7:45. I was surprised to learn I had a cell signal. With today being Sunday I spent some time catching-up on all the NFL action. Afterward I fell asleep while coming to terms with the fact I was now less than 100 miles from finishing my adventure. For book followers, mile 2,091.5 page 215.
Date: 2018-09-24
From: Long Pond Stream Lean-to

To: West Branch Pleasant River
Miles today: 15.2

Day two in the 100 mile wilderness was filled with sun but it certainly was chilly. As long as I was hiking I was fine. As soon as I'd stop to take a break the chill would begin to set in. Therefore, breaks were short but more frequent. I also crossed over the 2,100 miles of adventure milestone. But at this point the milestone is being overshadowed by the end being near.Today I went over Barren Mountain with an elevation of 2,650 feet. With all the miles I've done this was hardly a challenge, even with more food than usual in my backpack. By the end of the day I was starting to get tired though. I've not had a full day of rest since the 11th of September. It is the price I'm choosing to pay to keep on moving toward finishing the adventure. Bad weather could roll into Maine any time now, especially atop Mount Katahdin, the northern terminus of the trail.We chose to tent just before a river that we'd need to ford across in the morning. I setup my tent and ate dinner with my tramily. There were a few other hikers there as well. The distance between groups of hikers is starting to shorten as we move toward Mount Katahdin. In talking with these hikers, some I know, some I do not know, we are all anxious to finish. Nights are getting colder and fall foliage is progressing. Starting each day by coming out of a warm sleeping bag is getting tougher by the day. Tonight I was in my tent by 7:00 PM.For book followers, mile 2,106.7 page 15.2.
Date: 2018-09-25
From: West Branch Pleasant River

To: East Branch Lean-to
Miles today: 16.4

We had no idea what was in store for us when we packed-up camp and headed to the river about 50 yards away. The water wasn't that deep and at the edge didn't feel too cold. Sure, the air was cold but we expected that to be the case here in Maine in late September. We crossed without shoes and socks as any hiker would do. Red Bard was the first to cross the river and I followed shortly behind. Bugz made her way across after I had already reached the northern river bank. None of us had any feeling in our toes! It was the coldest my toes had ever been and to be honest, I was concerned. As quickly as I could, I dried my feet and put on my two pairs of socks and shoes. For about 15 minutes we walked up and down the trail without our backpacks trying to get the blood flowing into our feet. We then started hiking and not until about another 30 minutes did our feet regain their feeling. We all survived the ordeal.There was a series of mountains to cross today. By the time we reached White Cap Mountain, the highest and fourth of four peaks, the weather was not in our favor. Red Bard and I were being blown around by winds in excess of 50 miles per hour and there was a heavy mist. The experience was worse than when I was on Mount Madison in New Hampshire. At least there I wasn't exposed for very long. We were exposed above the tree line for over 100 yards and the terrain was nothing but rocks one foot and bigger in size. I hiked with one hand holding my hat on, leaving only one hand with a trekking pole to offset the wind and balance myself among the rocks. I nearly fell a handful of times while scrambling to get into the trees on the other side of White Cap Mountain. Once in the safety of trees we stopped to take a break and relived the event. From this point forward we would not be over 2,000 feet in elevation until the final climb of Mount Katahdin. That in itself was a reward for crossing White Cap Mountain.Rain came around 3:00 PM. It wasn't heavy and it was off and on. It was certainly enough to make tenting a miserable option. The shelter was crowded when I arrived but the residents were friendly and made space for all of us. No one wants to leave a hiker no option but to tent in cold rain. Although we experienced some unpleasantness today, we were now only 67.8 miles from the summit of Mount Katahdin. The excitement of a finish is growing. For book followers, mile 2,123.1, page 216.
Date: 2018-09-26
From: East Branch Lean-to

To: Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to
Miles today: 19.5

At this point I was deep into the backwoods of Maine. The landscape is filled with remote lakes and ponds, all with crystal clear water. The fisherman in me could only think about one day returning to fish these isolated gems. Perhaps one day I shall. I've done all my hiking without listening to music or podcasts as many hikers do. Before I even started the adventure, I wanted to be disconnected from civilization as much as possible while hiking. I saved the tastes of civilization for when I visited towns. That made town visits that much more rewarding.Today was an easy 19.5 mile stretch of trail. And I did quite a bit of hiking today by myself. The solitude gave me time to reflect on the adventure. It's still hard to believe I've hiked as many miles as I have. But as enjoyable as today was, I'm still eager to return home. Aside from the wonderful scenery today, it was a routine hiking day. It was nice to do big miles while basically hiking on autopilot. For book followers, mile 2,142.6 page 217.
Date: 2018-09-27
From: Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to

To: Rainbow Lake Campsite
Miles today: 22.0

The tramily had a plan in place to summit Mount Katahdin this coming Sunday. That plan included Bugz being able to pick-up a food package within the 100 mile wilderness. To do so, she'd have to take a boat ride to the establishment where her mom sent the package. When we arrived at the boat dock, Bugz was informed that only those staying the night at the isolated hostel were eligible for a boat ride. She chose to abandon the package. This resulted in our decision to do back-to-back 20+ mile days to reach Baxter State Park, home to Mount Katahdin and a camp store with food, a day early. We'd now summit on Saturday.While hiking in the early morning we came close to a lake and decided to go off trail to view the lake. Good thing we did. When we cleared the woods and hit the rocky shoreline, the morning sun was lighting up Mount Katahdin to the left. It was simply beautiful! All the miles we've done and now to see our destination in such beauty was amazing. We all just fell silent while absorbing the view. It was really sinking in now that our dream was within reach.Later we took lunch on another shoreline rather than a close by shelter. We'd be crazy to pass up such a place. The trail actually touched the shoreline and about six hikers went by as we took our lunch. As he's been doing since I showed him how, Red Bard was skipping rocks again. We didn't play too long and got hiking again to ensure we were on pace with our new plan. There was a climb of 700 feet in the afternoon which gave us another wonderful view of Mount Katahdin with a large blue lake in the foreground. We reached our campsite late and setup quickly before eating dinner together. It was nice to know the first half of the new plan was complete. For book followers, mile 2,164.6 page 218.
Date: 2018-09-28
From: Rainbow Lake Campsite

To:  The Birches Lean-tos
Miles today: 21.1

Today was the second half of the new plan to summit on Saturday and I woke up in the best of spirits. I'd be hiking out of the 100 mile wilderness, have a real lunch at a camp store, then hike into Baxter State Park and get my permit to summit Mount Katahdin.I left camp this morning by myself and hiked for about two hours alone. At one point I heard a low plane overhead and went a short distance to the edge of a lake. The plane circled twice before coming to land on the water about 100 yards directly in front of me. It was awesome to see this up close. Sadly, I didn't take the time to get my phone out of my backpack and missed a great video.Eventually I hiked out of the wilderness, reaching a road with light traffic, and waited here for Bugz as she wasn't far behind. Together we walked the road to find Robinhood standing on a bridge that spanned a river. Soon afterward Red Bard joined us and we took some photos of us and Mount Katahdin. Moving across the bridge we came to the camp store which had a small restaurant inside. For lunch I had popcorn chicken and a burger with fries. And, two beers to celebrate our progress. We all bought some trail foods for the evening and following day before heading into Baxter State Park.The trail followed a river and was super easy terrain. At one point a large rock outcrop made a natural dam and we rested here in full sun for nearly an hour. I resisted the temptation to swim but did dunk my head in the water a few times. We still had a couple hours of hiking ahead of us and pressed on. Once we arrived at the Ranger station, we registered and paid the $10 to camp in the park at The Birches, only 5.2 miles from the summit of Mount Katahdin. Dinner was cheerful and I shared a package of cookies I'd bought at the camp store with my tramily. It was now the night before our big day. For book followers, mile 2,185.7 page 219.
Date: 2018-02-27
To: Chambersburg, PA
Miles today: 0.0

After meeting Rick (the guy I plan on starting the trail with) 2 weeks ago on a short 17 mile one night backpacking shakedown hike, things were finally being set in motion to drive down from PA to GA to begin our journey. Rick wanted a location right off the turnpike so I suggested Marzoni's since it fits that criteria and I am (was) a Tuesday regular. At 18:30 Rick got to the brewery, I said my goodbyes to my parents as well as my bartenders who were convinced I would be eaten by bears. We got to Rick's sister's (Kathy) house in Chambersburg, PA and I met their mom for the first time as well. That night I slept on the floor with my thermo-rest and sleeping bag, beginning the normal trail routine.
Date: 2018-02-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

We left Chambersburg, PA at 08:00. It was a 10 hour drive and the GPS took us on the scenic tour it seemed for the last hour instead of taking main roads to the Comfort Inn in East Ellijay. We are planning on doing touristy things tomorrow. It still hasn't hit me that I will be beginning a 2100 mile trek tomorrow.
Date: 2018-03-01
From: Springer Parking Lot

To: Springer Mountain
Miles today: 1.0
Weather: moderate rain

We took a very sketchy dirt forest road for about 10 miles to the Springer Mountain parking lot. We tried to hike the 1 mile up to the southern terminus before the storms rolled through. We got caught in the storm on our way back down the mountain but we were staying at a hostel tonight so it wasn't a big deal. I did the day hike with my full pack because that's how I wanted to do the entire trail. We then drove to Amicalola Falls to register. I was 462. We walked around the base of the falls, took our pictures and proceeded to drive to the lodge and to the top of the falls as well. The Lodge was a ghost town maybe only 10 people in the whole place in the lobby. Having completed are list of touristy things, we ended our drive at Neel Gap where Rick and Kathy paid for a bunk and I decided to car camp, which seemed to become the norm for all my recent big adventures. Crazy to think it all really begins tomorrow!