morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-09-17
From: Carl A Newhall Lean-To

To: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-To
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: light rain

You can dwell on the negative or think positive. I did a bit of both today. I awoke on the wrong side of the shelter in the morning. People kept talking when I wanted to sleep last night and someone snored all night. It was raining this morning and I just couldn't seem to get started. When I finally left the shelter, I found myself growing more and more frustrated with Professor Nutbag. I rehiked 35 miles of the most boring stretch in Maine just to hike the Wilderness with him, and he decides he'd rather be lazy and take a zero day in the woods. After today's rain, I wonder if I'll see him again or not. Regardless of any of his assurances to the contrary, he's very much a fair weather hiker.Sometimes I wish I were. As Ug and I climbed ever higher, the rain and wind increased. I crossed Whitecap Mountain in the midst of sleet and thirty mile per hour winds. I practically stumbled to the next shelter, figuring I'd dry out and warm up, but that didn't happen. It was jammed full - Train and Raindrop, Hairball and Snowbunny, and Lion King were already there and Little John just beat me in. It was only 3.5 miles to the next shelter so I pushed on after chatting with The King for a few minutes. Besides, Ug had already come and gone.It was then that something amazing happened. The trail grew nicer, the wind died, and I was able to move quickly enough to warm up. Circulation returned to my fingers and my demeanor gradually improved. By the time I reached East Branch Lean-To I was positively chipper and enjoying the light rain. It's astounding how much physical comfort can affect your attitude and vice versa. Has life been simplified to the point where all I need to be happy is decent weather? Of course not, let's not kid ourselves too much.The shelter was much brighter, bigger, and emptier. Pumpkin and her husband had arrived earlier along with Bug and Miss Priss. Ug and I had lunch with them before pushing on - no sense in wasting mental momentum. I should be seeing the others again tomorrow, though. Like myself, they're planning to go to White House Landing, a private camp in the middle of the Wilderness.Ug and I made great time, covering the eight miles in less than three and a half hours. It was mainly easy terrain with only a single climb of any significance. I did have a few falls on slick rocks and a close call in a river ford, but escaped unscathed. Crawford Pond would likely have been a beautiful view and a break spot on any other day, but there wasn't much to see today but fog and rain. We arrived to find room at the shelter; only Fig, Just Visiting and one other hiker were in the shelter.We climbed in, spread out, and changed into something dry. After eating there wasn't much else to do. Nobody wanted to stand around in the rain, so everyone is in their sleeping bags well before seven. That's the AT for you. There's never a shortage of action. At least there's some good conversation. I've seen rainy evenings in a packed shelter passed in silence, a phenomenon that baffles me to this day.
Date: 2005-09-19
From: White House Landing

To: Rainbow Stream Lean-To
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: broken clouds

7:29 pm - Halo 'Round The MoonI woke up last night and happened to notice the moon. The sky had cleared and the moon was a single day past full. It loomed large, bathing the hillside in cool, blue light. It seemed larger than ever, as if I could reach out and touch it. An occasional wisp of cloud passed by as if to remind me of what could have been.I got up early and hung around the still shore of the lake until it was time for breakfast, allowing myself a few quiet moments for reflection as I watched the morning mist rise. Breakfast was like dinner - huge. Scrambled eggs, bacon, an english muffin with jelly, coffee, and OJ - and that's before the ten blueberry pancakes I ate. After breakfast, Bill (the co-owner, along with Linda) took us by boat across the lake, dropping us off about a mile closer to the trail than the dock from which we were picked up.I really enjoyed this morning's hike. Like yesterday, the trail wound through mossy pine forest, following a stream until it turned into a lake and then skirting the shore. Today was the first really good weather I've seen in the Wilderness. I took my time and enjoyed it, finally risking heavy usage of the camera. It's largely been sealed inside a waterproof bag for most of the Wilderness so far - I'm not taking any more chances with it. Electronics aren't as resilient as thru-hikers.The seven of us who were at White House Landing all ended up on top of Nesuntabunt Mountain together and were almost treated to a view of Katahdin. We could see for miles in any direction but the one we wanted. After a while the clouds drifted enough to allow us a hazy view of the base, but the top remained shrouded in thick cumulus clouds.Afterwards the trail resumed its meandering through gorgeous forest, following several brooks as the afternoon wore on. Curiously a candy bar I stuck in an outside pocket vanished before I could eat it. Perhaps a mouse got it while my pack was on the ground on top of the mountain. No matter; I still made it to Rainbow Stream Lean-To where Fig and Just Visiting had already set up camp. Bear Tracks rolled in perhaps five minutes later; the White House crew barely beat me. Just Bob showed up while I was cooking dinner (cheddar Liptons, mashed potatoes and tuna - mixed together, of course), but he's planning to hike on a few more miles in the dark. Hike while it's not raining, he says. Amen.It finally struck me today that this trip is really almost over. Nearly all of the familiar names ahead of me in the register have summitted Katahdin. How crazy is that? LiveStrong, Crazy Legs, Dandy Lion, Mayfly, Hopeful, Red Wing, and scores of others are done hiking. It's unreal.I guess I've got plenty to ponder tonight under my tarp. I only hope the mice don't disturb my pondering too much. I've already had to chase one out.
Date: 2005-09-21
From: Abol Pines Campground

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: broken clouds

8:04 pm - Fire on the MountainLast night's rain turned into heavy winds. I had to fix my tarp in the middle of the night when a stake blew loose, but at least everything was dry in the morning. And what a morning it was! The skies were much clearer. At the river's edge, I glanced north and saw a rock slide where there had been none yesterday. I practically ran to Abol Bridge for a better look.Have you ever heard the phrase "fire on the mountain?" That is how I first saw Katahdin. It's peak was shrouded in clouds, lit red by the dawn. It looked like smoke rising from a fire within. Simply seeing Kathdin was akin to a religious experience. At last, proof that the mountain exists! How could something so large, so magnificent have appeared overnight? To see it up close for the first time is amazing; to see it in such dramatic conditions is astonishing.This morning feels like a lifetime earlier. So much of today was spent along water - rivers, ponds, waterfalls - interspersed with ever clearer views of our mecca, our Katahdin. Names I've pored over on the final page of my data book now have meaning. I've been to Daicey Pond; I've walked along Katahdin Stream. And the mountain whose name simply means "greatest mountain" never disappointed me, even though the peak remained shrouded in mystery.Bear Tracks, Professor Nutbag and I reached Katahdin Stream Campground at 1:30 and waited around with Fig, Just Visiting, and Lion King to greet the thruhikers who summitted today as they returned to the mountain's base. It was supposedly a Class I day (I-IV, with IV meaning the mountain is closed), but by all accounts the summit was at least a Class II. We were fortunate enough to share the joy and mixed emotions of finishing with Squid Jerky, Ug, Just Bob, the Troll family, and the Muppets (Hemlock, Birdy, and Beem). But we knew there were others still up on the mountain. Later in the afternoon, Pumpkin emerged but continued on - she was hiking sobo to finish at Abol Bridge. But finally, at 6:30 with darkness not too far off, the final crew emerged - Bug and Miss Priss, Train and Raindrop, Hairball and Snowbunny, and Milkman. The first six had left Abol Bridge at 6:30 this morning and had hiked over twenty miles, summitting Katahdin in high winds, fog, and cold temperatures. Amazing.It was surreal talking with the new thru-hikers. Many were in a trance. They told similar tales of horrid conditions up top, but I know I wasn't hearing what mattered most. Something happened with each person when they reached the top, and that something is between them and the mountain. It can't be explained; it must be experienced. I only saw the mix of elation and sadness. A mammoth journey has been accomplished, but each person will awake tomorrow morning with one question on their mind: what now?Tomorrow I will have my own experience with the mountain. The morning after, I will face the same question.
Date: 2005-02-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hello! This is my first journal entry about the "big hike" and I am pretty excited to finally have our journal up and running. My boyfriend, David, and I will be starting the trail on March 20th. We live in Portland Oregon and will be heading back to the east coast Feb. 5th. Living in Oregon made me fall in love with the outdoors and hiking so we decided to save money and take months off to hike the trail. We have all of our gear ready to go and will be staying at Amicalola Falls State Park Lodge on the 19th and will be taking off on the approach trail and leaving David's father, Michael, and his college roomate Lee behind at the trail head. They will be there to see us off and that is when the trip will be real and our entire lives will be sitting on our backs. How EXCITING!!! The hardest part of the hike (besides the hike itself) is going to be that our puppy girl, Casey, won't be with us. She is the sweetest dog and she LOVES to hike but she has an injured paw (She is missing 2 toes and a very important pad on her right paw) which would basically be torture for her if someting happened along the way. She is also 9 years old and we feel that we may be cutting years off of her life if he pushed her to hard. Leaving her behind will be the hardest part of heading off to Georgia but knowing that she will be waiting for us at the end and may hike some day trips with us leaves a lot to look forward too. I'm signing off but there is much more to come.... McKay
Date: 2005-02-01
To: About Us
Miles today: 0.0

I thought that I would use this entry to let you know a little bit about David. Dave grew up in Chester New Jersey with his parents and sister Ali. All of his family lives around New Jersey and New York and I have fallen in love with all of them. They are one of the most friendly, welcoming, and supportive families that I have met (I am not trying to score points with them, they know how I feel). Throughout his childhood Dave's Dad took the family to the Appalachian Trail and they also section hiked most of the White Mountains. Dave struggled under heavy pack weight and his Dad ended up helping a lot the first day. At 18 a few days after graduating from high school Dave left Jersey and moved to Flagstaff Arizona. Thinking that he knew everything and that he didn't need anyones help (Dave will be the first to admit this) he would go on to discover a lot about himself and the difficulty of living on his own. Knowing Dave for 3 years now I know what an important time in his life this was...he gained his strong work ethic that has followed him through to today. He worked dishwashing jobs and lived on the lake in Flagg before meeting many friends and building an amazing life for himself in Flagg. Probably the most important part of Dave's life then was skateboarding. It was his livelihood and you would rarely see Dave without his skateboard or his puppy Casey. Dave decided that he wanted to go to culinary school and so he headed off to Portland Oregon where he began his studies in 1999. Living in Portland he met more skateboarding friends and was in the best shape of his life because he would skate everywhere (Portland is a very friendly skater city!!!) He worked in restaurants while going to school but was drawn back to Flagg where he would spend the next two years working and having fun. Wanderlust led him back to the east coast where he moved to Burlington Vermont (where I grew up) He worked with his best friend Brian, from Flagg, and then met the love of his life (me). I always wanted to leave Vermont so we moved to Portland and now we will not have a home base. Our home will be the trail and it is probably the best place that both of us will live in our lives.McKay
Date: 2005-02-01
To: Dave's View
Miles today: 0.0

This journal entry will briefly describe my girlfriend, Cathryn McKay. Wow, I don't even know what to say! We met each other working at Leunigs Bistro on Church St in downtown Burlington Vt. I was a disgruntled line cook and she was a waitress, but we hit it off and have come a long way since then. She grew up in Williston Vt which is one town over from Burlington. When McKay was in High school she was a tennis star, and an accomplished student, so she says. The next 4 years were spent learning at the magnificent University of Vermont where she graduated right on time, and balanced a fairly liberal party schedule too. Her family is amazing and has been supportive of us throughout our relationship, and with our latest stunt, and this means a lot to us. We fully intend on grabbing this bull by the horns so look out class of '05 we want to walk with you!
Date: 2005-02-02
To: BEAUTIFUL OREGON
Miles today: 0.0

Today we went for a hike in the cascades up the devils peak trail. It offered amazing views and we basked in the sun for a while. The trail basically twists and turns strait up and around many of the peaks that surround the giant Mt. Hood. Weather wise it was bright and shiny at about 60 degrees. McKay was getting over a little cold but kept up and even felt better at the summit. We can't wait to get started on the AT but will definitly miss these exotic North West forests with there huge trees and ferns with long green moss hanging off of everything. Our apartment with panoramic views of downtown Portland will also be greatly missed! The support we have already received in our guestbook is very inspiring and welcomed. We have both finished our last days at our jobs and are ready to start the approach trail in 45 days.                              DaveToday was our day to say goodbye to Mt.Hood and it was so hard to admit to myself that that will be the last time I see that beautiful area. The drive started out hazy but as we got closer to Mt. Hood the sky was bright blue, vast, and spraying sunshine through the windows onto my face, which made me almost forget about my sore throat. We stopped at our favorite little town donut shop....they definitely do not skimp on the sugar. With an intense sugar high we arrived, geared up and took off. The uphill climb was tough but the sunshine of the top peak forced my legs to keep going. I used my LEKI poles for the first time today and I have to tell you..I am in love. Those poles are going to save my knees on the trail. At the lookout we basked in the sun and I thought about our drive in three days back to the east coast: the rain, sleet, snow and freezing temperatures that we are about to go through and I thought about how I am crazy to leave this amazing weather. When Dave finally talked me into leaving the sunshine we took pictures and headed off downhill. We both realized that we would rather climb uphill then downhill. Although the poles, once again, made it extremely easy on my knees. If you don't have poles you should try them out and see how they work for you. Can't wait for March 20th!!!   McKay
Date: 2005-02-10
To: Back in Jersey
Miles today: 0.0

We made it home to Jersey!!!! We left Portland on Saturday about 2pm and arrived here in Jersey Tuesday at 4pm. Our Budget rental was headache free except when you tried to take a nap...the bucket seats made me go crazy and strain my neck but it also motivated us to drive through two nights so that we would not spend anymore money on hotels. We did stay in one hotel to rest and watch the superbowl...Go New England (my home team!!!) We have become very stingy with our money because we want to have as much of our savings as we can for the trail. Since we left Portland it seems as though our money is just disappearing so we our going to be working in B-Town to add some more money to our trail account. On the ride home we stopped at the Delaware Water Gap and drove to the AT. We always said that we did not want to be on the trail at all before we start but the excitment got to us and we wanted to see our first white blaze. After being in the car for 2 days straight it was wonderful to stretch our legs and get some fresh air. We hiked up an approach trail, blue blazes, about a mile and then we made it to the Appalachian Trail and saw our first blaze. It was nice because we had Casey with us and she got to step on the trail too. We wanted to keep going but the drive ahead was in the back of our minds so we walked about a mile more and turned around knowing that we have plenty of hiking and beautiful scenery in our near future. Being home is nice...eating a lot of yummy food and sleeping very well at night. I almost feel back to normal after the drive but I am craving the woods as is Dave. Today we are going to start running on the treadmill to try and regain some of our conditioning for the hike. Soon we will be in VT and hiking trails in the snow...very exciting. One month and 10 days until we hit the trail and all of this talk becomes reality...I have a little anxiety but if I wasn't a little nervous I would be crazy, right? McKay
Date: 2005-02-10
To: Hiking the AT in Jersey
Miles today: 0.0

Today we went on a section of the AT here in Jersey, Stokes State Forest. We started out in the trail town and read some info left at the head of the trail by some people in town telling thru-hikers where to go for food and water supply. It was our first glimpse of the friendliness and openness of people in the towns surrounding the trail. The climb began mainly uphill but we did not have any problems and thought back to our training in the lush, damp, mossy forests of Oregon. The hike was littered with rocks and we realized how the footpath can really beat up our boots. In Oregon we, most of the time, found ourselves on well groomed soft footpaths and today we got our first look at the rocks that we have always heard control the trails in NJ and Pennsylvania. Don't get me wrong, I know that it could be much worse but it will just be something to get used to...and we definitely need to keep our eyes on the ground more so that we will not twist our ankles. Physical injury on the rocks would be the only problem. The Vistas and summits that we climbed showed amazing 360 degree views. When we make it to this spot in the summer it will be beautiful..If we get to this spot on a clear sunny day we will be able to get great tans...I can't wait!!! We look forward to our next walk from vista to vista through green tunnels of trees, across various ridges in this section of Jersey's AT.McKay
Date: 2005-02-11
To: Big Brother
Miles today: 0.0

An interesting thing happened last night as my mother, Mckay, and I sat around having a couple of cocktails in the living room. An all too familiar noise began coming from the ceiling above. I have heard these noises on most of my visits home and have become desensitized, but to someone who has never experienced them it would sound something like a small monster thrashing the floors and walls with bouts of high pitched screeching. This beast had eluded me every time I climb the sketchy fold out ladder that leads up to the attic, but not this time!       You are most likely wondering if anything has been done about this in the past and the answer is yes. We have had a few exterminators come and they were all positive it was mice or maybe a squirl, even when my mom explained the banging and crashing. After climbing the ladder there are a few seperate rooms in the attic that are wide open with a three foot wide boardwalk that keeps you off the insulation. Our house was built over a pre existing house and strange enough as it sounds the old roof is built in to our attic. The whole back of the attic is this old roof and the three foot wide boardwalk goes directly into it. This is the space that I believed the creature called home.      While we were sipping our drinks, listening , I decided once again it was time to go up and see who and what our guest was. I grabbed a flashlight and made my way up the ladder. Pulling on the first of three light switches I immediately noticed all of the redecorating that had been going on. The uninvited house guest had taken big bites out of insulation and boxes packed with National Geographics that I think he might have enjoyed. Anyway, it was a mess only made worse by its scat it left everywhere. I pulled the second light and saw the dark entrance to the old roof and also heard a dragging noice that gave me a chill. The last switch offered no new light so I turned on my really dull flashlight and climbed into the hole.      Once I got in I pressed the light against my chest and listened to the darkness. Nothing for a moment and then there it was. I lifted the light and our eyes met. We both froze! I had to admit to myself that it was much larger than I had anticipated, and would have to retreat. There a few feet in front of me was a BIG JUICY RACCOON, and when I say big I'm talkin medium dog here. It's tail was dense with thick fur and black stripes. The silence was broken by him bolting into the darkness and me jumping out of that hole. I will write a conclusion to this story when I have one, hopefully in the next few days.PS Don't worry, I am an animal lover and won't hurt my new big brother.