morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-08-26
To: Transcriber Kris
Miles today: 0.0

Greetings to all who are following the adventurous manifestations of Our Friend Dharma--Dharma has asked me to let you know that his journals are going to be inconsistent for a while because he is currently healing a head-cold. He assures us that this has NOT affected his hiking, though he has been resting/sleeping more than usual. He intends to complete some of the back-entries as he gains strength.His projected itinerary: Stratton, Maine on Thursday, with hopes to summit Katahdin on Sept 10.
Date: 2004-08-26
From: The Sugar Shack

To: Stratton, ME
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: broken clouds

on 8/23 we made a decision to stop for the day and hold out for our experience. (1) why hike late in the day if it might rain? (2) why hike over some peak in overcast weather when you could wait a day?we almost put the destination over the journey. instead of pushing on, getting wet, and camping in a lot of wind, we camped near a lake and stayed virtually dry. the next day our hike over saddleback was grand. i'm so glad we waited.what's it like doing the opposite? life, as it does, has given me a striking example. i've had a cold for the past few days. yesterday i stopped tasting food. food, as any thru knows, is one of the rewards of the day - everyday. living for the destination is like not being able to taste any of the food you eat - just gobbling it down and getting no pleasure from it. why eat at all then?ok, on to today. hiking over the crockers went by fast. we were to ford a stream, but it was low, so we got to rock-hop it. so far i've only had two fords, one of those in... PA of all places.when we got to the road we filled out surveys for a wind power study. they wanted hiker's reactions to putting a wind farm on a few of the nearby ranges. the pictures of the simulated vistas with wind towers didn't bother me at all. all i know is wind power on such a large scale means cleaner air to breath in this region. we got a hitch into town and secured a room at the white wolf inn. plenty of thrus were there: longshot, lint, bluebird, tapeworm (nobo), cotton, lwop, bearbag hanger, and hammock hanger. while flora did laundry down the road, i resupplied and got a shower in before dinner. the three of us went to a pizza place in town and were joined by longshot and bluebird.after pizzas, we all grabbed a spoon and went to work on a half-gallon of cookie dough ice cream flora bought at the country store. back at the hotel, lint was telling us of the weeping or crying noises he heard in the sugarloaf summit house. last night i thought i was hearing them too, though i thought it was a dream. none of us could come up with an explanation for this... maybe a new AT ghost has been found in the sugarloaf summit house.
Date: 2004-08-27
From: Stratton, ME

To: Avery Memorial Campsite 
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: broken clouds

we got out of stratton at 11am after a leisurely morning. bluebird and cotton got a hitch and were just about to take off when we came walking up. the woman driver asked us if we all wanted rides too. but, of course. she paraded her kids into the backseat as we piled the packs into the back of her minivan. five miles later we were at the trailhead. the survey-guy from yesterday was there with one other hiker. today we began the bigelow range. the bigelows are the LAST mountain range we'll see until the end. our packs had that usual heavy as lead feeling when we come out of town loaded with food. (the peaks today ranged from 3800' to 4100'.)as i moved up the trail, i reminded myself that i've done harder mountains with more weight. this is old-school. the anticipation of the end makes me want to get by these peaks even faster, but we move along in rhythmic time, getting to each summit a little earlier than we expected to. fauna, flora, and i will switch-off being leader, though flora gets to be up front most of the time. the girls are very careful on the downhills while i usually move through them with more ease - having long arms and legs gives me an advantage on the steep and jagged sections. we move together, not really letting anyone get out of leki range (we listen for the tapping sound the poles make when they strike a rock). i don't mind taking the time to be careful. one bad slip and any one of us could easily break a bone. one thing i thought was interesting when i started hiking with fauna and flora is we all carry whistles. it's a great lightweight piece of safety gear, but i doubt many thrus carry them at all.this will be my last night camping at altitude (3815'). for the rest of the journey i will be at warmer, buggier elevations. the hiking will be easier, but the sleeping might be a bit more uncomfortable.i could actually taste my delectable Lipton's "dirty rice" this evening, so i believe my cold is on its way out.
Date: 2004-08-28
From: Avery Memorial Campsite

To: West Carry Pond Shelter
Miles today: 14.6

The overcast morning turned to rain. The morning was generous to us since we got all our gear collected and in our packs before the rain began. Fauna, Flora, and I hid underneath the front porch of the caretaker's cabin. Which was a short hike away from our tent platform. We waited out the rain until it was a lingering drizzle. In less than a mile were going to hit Avery Peak, the last 4000 footer until we reach Katahdin (which is a 5000 footer). Atop the peak it was overcast offering us no views of where we had been or where we are going.When we reached Little Bigelow lean-to, we stopped for lunch. Lunch was the usual peanut butter and Nutella on bagels. I have never gotten tired of this or even straight peanut butter. A special treat today was the bag of Cheetos I brought along from our last town stop. The crunchy-cheesy bits reminded me of camping with Hippie. That was one of her favorite extras. Pre-trail, I wouldn't touch anything with electric-orange cheese. Now, anything with a different color, texture, or taste other than Liptons or Snickers bars is welcome in my belly. Yum. BTW: no one EVER gets tired of Snickers.Also at this shelter we've hit major mileage. 2000 miles! 2001.6 to be exact. It is exhilarating to know we have less than 200 miles left to go. Time to celebrate!Near the lean-to there are some water/rock formations call "The Tubs". You can guess by the name, the flowing water has carved out some "tubs" in the rocks. Nothing like a dip in freezing cold water to celebrate 2000 miles of hiking. The sun came through the clouds as we were looking for the right tub to take a dip.   Brave Flora was the first one in. We could tell from her yelps that is was plenty cold. I hesitated before I jumped in, bracing for the icy shock. There's nothing like cold water to wake you up and put you right in the moment. Wow, was I charged! Standing flat on the bottom the tub it almost reached our necks. Fauna soon followed and joined us.We stayed in the water about 10 minutes and got out to the warm sunshine. The rocks were warm and the air cool. In no real rush to get anywhere today, we dried off in the sunshine. At one of the road crossings we took some silly pictures where someone wrote "2000 mi" on the roadway. It seemed like one of those days to take our time and be silly.Mmmmmmm, trail magic! - Click picture to see full sizeI led the last 7 miles to Carry Pond Shelter. The sun was already below the horizon, and we couldn't wait to get dinner started. On approach, I could hear voices in the distance - probably weekend hikers. As I got a little close I could see various "implements of destruction" and chainsaws. It was obvious we happened upon some trail maintainers.The leader of the group, Dana (Strider '91), said "you're right on time the chicken's almost done." The group laughed as our eye's nearly popped out of our heads. This night we were treated to beer, salsa, chips, oreos, pasta salad, bbq chicken, and tequila. Dana and crew really knows how to throw a party. Thanks guys, for the magic and the trail work you do for the hikers.
Date: 2004-08-29
From: West Carry Pond Shelter

To: Caratunk, ME
Miles today: 14.0

This morning some guy (not a trail maintainer; possibly a SOBO) we were sharing the shelter with got up at 4:30AM to pack his gear. He had more gear than god,   I kid you not. He was still was not done at 7am.There was also an older couple in the shelter, out for the weekend, who made more noise than a flock of bison. They are gear-heavy too. They took over the cooking space like it was their home.Now, it was obvious to me that these folks are pitching a reflection at me. I wasn't much concerned with their odd waking hours, noise, or oodles of gear as I was my reaction to it. I was feeling pissed that people could come to the woods and be so inconsiderate. Hmmm, so here's the reflection: When I do something outside social norms, in this case trail etiquette, I get pissed at myself. So, this attitude will definitely hamper me from stepping outside the box, outside my own box, if I'm always getting mad at myself for doing so. This is just something I should watch in the future. If I'm getting it in reflection, it's probably a pattern I have.Dana loaded us up with bagels, apples, and dried apricots before we left. It rained on us today for about two hours. We just kept hiking and dried from the inside out. After lunch, the sun came out. Just in time for our canoe crossing of the Kennebec River. The AMC (Appalachian Mtn Club) pays someone to shuttle hikers across the river. Upstream is a hydroelectric plant that releases water periodically. This release of hundreds of thousands of gallons of water could sweep hikers away or possibly drown them (as has happened in the past).The ferryman called Steve Longley and asked him to pick us up. We were driven to Steve's place - the Rivers and Trails Hostel and Store. While resupplying at Steve's, we met Bluebird again. The girls and I were into the hot tub idea at Northern Outdoors down 201, but Bluebird wanted to stay at the Hostel. Steve gave Fauna, Flora, and I a ride down to Northern Outdoors where I convinced the ladies we really wanted a $65 lodge room over the $12 per person cabin tent. To sweeten the deal I said I'd pay their shares over $12. Bingo! Warm room, no bugs, and a shower.The three of us ate dinner in the dining room and met hikers, cotton, tapeworm, bluebird, and longshot there. They are staying at the hostel, but got a ride in to have dinner and a dip in the hot tub. We stayed in the hot tub for two hours, only two 'civilians' dared to join us. It was getting late so we bid everyone goodbye and returned to our room to get our packs and clothing ready as well as journal and make some phone calls.
Date: 2004-08-30
From: Caratunk, ME

To: Bald Mtn Brook Shelter
Miles today: 14.4

In our room we had the blinds shut and got a late start. The weather at 8:30 was overcast with the sun peaking through now and then. The humidity was incredibly high. The humidity didn't help on our climb of Pleasant Pond Mtn. We lied down at the top , breathing heavy and sweating profusely. We let our bodies cool down before continuing. I could tell my body appreciated the break.The day turned rainy but the tree cover kept us pretty dry. The sky darkened. it looked like it was twilight but was still in the early afternoon. Thunder crashed in the distance. "Uh oh, big stuff coming in", I thought. We moved on and kept up our pace, the storm gaining on us. Mother nature was moving much faster than we were and she rained hard enough to soak our shoes and socks. We sloshed along the dirt road, heading to our next ford, Baker stream. "Guess we don't have to take our shoes off to cross the stream today", Flora smirked. As it turned out, we could rock-hop the stream. Falling in really didn't matter since we were soaked.The rain let up for the next hour and our shoes lost a bit of their squishyness and our clothes and jackets started to dry on our bodies. Just before we reached the shelter, the skies opened again and got us wet. Oh well.I wore my clothes for the remainder of the evening hoping my body heat would dry them. By time i turned in, they were mostly dry, except for the socks which never dry quickly.Fauna, Flora, and I sat on the edge of the shelter this evening, headlamps a blaze, smacking moths and no-see-ums while we jotted down notes in our journals. at the shelter tonight: hobbes (who treated us to chocolate zucchini bread tonight), fauna, flora, tapeworm (nobo), and aquadiva (sobo).
Date: 2004-09-01
From: Piscataquis River

To: Monson, ME
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: scattered clouds

at 8am we attempted the river crossing again. the river was about six inches lower this morning. i tried two spots without my pack on - it was still too high and fast. we checked around for a lower spot and found one that went downstream a bit then turned upstream towards the island. i tried this one without my pack and found it doable.i went across with my pack and got just my shorts wet. fauna, we would later find out, didn't go downstream far enough and hit some fast water. she was about halfway across and said she was "stuck". i grabbed my lekis and went out to help her. we were moving very slowly together - the water was quite powerful. (nature has a way of helping us out here and trail magic can come in many forms.) i was facing her, one hand on her jacket and the other on my lekis. things were not going as smoothly as when i crossed. fauna lost her footing and fell in. the current hit her and drew us downstream. i gripped her jacket and pulled upward to make sure she didin't go under as my feet slid across the bottom. one of my heels got a hold and we slowed enough for fauna to dig in, but she was still being pulled by the current. i grabbed a strap on her pack and lifted her to her feet. once standing, she said, "i can do it now". the current had carried us to the "sweet spot" i crossed in earlier. the current was still swift but the water level lower. she finished the ford unassisted. flora used the sweet spot to cross and had no problem. all three of us then crossed from the island to the north shore.at the road to monson, we got ride into town from one of shaw's workers. no one was there to receive us at the lake shore house, but there was a number to call. fauna lent me her phone and i gave him a call.bob came down and showed us the rooms he had. we chose the double with a view of the lake. this place has a very nice energy to it. calm and comfortable.bob sweetened our stay with complementary dove bars, blueberry pie, and ice cream.flora and fauna wanted to bake and the lake shore house had a complete kitchen for them to use. we went to the general store for some baking supplies and hiker resupply.flora prepared the dough for the cinnamon buns as fauna and i got a pizza. we sat in front of the tv eating pizza and blueberry wheat beer, watching blind date on cable. good times.later in the evening we went about our town chores and i did laundry for us, while fauna and flora made the cinnamon buns. we all took a break and had blueberry pie and ice cream. we all used the phone and called loved ones and parents before going into the wilderness. i arranged for my parents to get us in millinocket on the 11th. turns out they were going to be 100 miles south of millinocket on the 11th anyway.we got to bed at midnight. way too late for our desired 9am start time tomorrow. we'll see what happens in the morning.
Date: 2004-09-02
From: Monson, ME

To: Wilson Valley Shelter
Miles today: 10.4

tired. all of us. we got up late and dragged through the morning. fauna and flora made pancakes, bacon, and eggs for breakfast, which was quite yummy.i helped with the dishes, and as we were drying them, stretch and her mother arrived and walked into the kitchen area. they knew fauna and flora from way back and said wildcat and bean was with them. after we were done with the dishes, they'd drive us over to meet them.we all had a grand time at the lake shore house. i hated to leave. i really wanted to zero but we had plans made and rides figured out. we wanted to keep extra time in the schedule for weather or swimming or whatever came up along the way.stretch brought us to a summer house where i met bean for the first time. wildcat, who didn't know i was in town, was surprised to see me. he was hiking southbound after summiting, handing out snickers bars to nobos. he figured he would run into me sometime... but not in town. actually, we would have missed each other if not for that mysterious force... trail magic.as a tennessee gentleman would do for a friend, wildcat gave me a snickers bar and a tiny bottle of jack daniels to further me on my journey. (with a little country time mix, i can make whiskey sours.)wildcat accompanied us to the trailhead where we ran into LWOP, bearbag hanger, and hammock hanger. they were slacking today. i said good bye to wildcat and wished him good luck on his trip up the long trail.we got on trail at 1pm and planned on going ten miles today because of the late hour. it was a beautiful bright cool day with a light breeze. the two fords today were much easier and lower than the other day. (BTW, i heard it rained 4-5 inches on 9/1, not 2-3.)we got to the shelter at 7:45 with just enough twilight to see. a group of young people were there playing the "big blue moon" game which our tired minds didn't grasp, but then again, we were making dinner. at the shelter tonight: flora, fauna, pipesmoke, and tapeworm.
Date: 2004-09-03
From: Wilson Valley Shelter

To: Chairback Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: clear sky

ok, everybody says, "save lots of time in maine... the wilderness is wonderful."well it's day 2 of the 100 mile wilderness and it is not the land of milk and honey. definitely not maps 3 through 7. half of map #2 looks promising and a good portion of #1 looks nice.i did 15 miles today and i took me all day. ALL DAY! (8:30am to 7pm) friggin' rocks, roots, boulders, rock scrambles, mud... it's not easy street like everyone said it would be ("oh, BTW, your first four days will suck"). it looks like at day 5 in the wilderness i'll have some sweet trail to talk about. for now, i'll just complain.not much happened today. fauna, flora, and i did a lot of walking. walking that required us to keep a lot of attention on our footing. a whole day of that drives me nutz. feels like, dare i say, pennsylvania.the best part of the day is when the three of us dropped our packs at Barren Ledges and took 20 minutes in the sun. now that's thru hiking!ok, there were two other good times as well. lunch: bagels, cheese, peanut butter, and nutella. dinner: beef stew (provided by mr. mule) and hot choco.no one would thru hike if you didn't get to eat so much yummy food.
Date: 2004-09-04
From: Chairback Gap Shelter

To: Camp Pine
Miles today: 3.9

it rained last night and the morning was cool and moist in the 50s. my weather radio said it would clear later in the afternoon followed by clear skies for the next few days.flora and fauna slept in later than usual. actually, flora said she was feeling tired this morning and fauna will usually wait for her to move before rising. we got out the door at about 9am and hiked 4 miles over the rocks, roots, and mud. i wanted to get to the ford (pleasant river) before we took a break. my left knee was hurting. it made me worry because it hurt going uphill and we have a big mountain ahead of us. we approached a woods road where some cars were parked at about 11:15. 50ft before the road was a sign:PINE FAMILY 8TH ANNUAL HIKER BBQSAT SEPT. 4TH & SUN SEPT. 5THCAMP PINE AT KI, 7 MILES FROM THE ATWILL PICK UP HIKERS AT 11AM AND 3PMTHE ERSKINE FAMILYif you've been reading for a while, you know the first thing we did was look at our watches to see what day it was - cause we don't bother keeping track. it's saturday! sweet! but we missed the shuttle time. we looked toward the cars and the driver of a pickup truck tapped the horn and waved us over. jeff was our ride to camp pine. we were the first hikers he's seen this morning and said he wasn't allowed back at camp without hikers. jeff explained there were burgers, dogs, and beer waiting for us at the camp. if we wanted to come down, we could also camp on the lawn.we looked at each other and could see the "yes" in each other's eyes. jeff didn't have to sell us calorie-starving hikers anymore. we jumped in the back of the pickup and went down the road, seven miles, to the camp.the camp is a summer house with no running water, but conveniences of a rainwater powered flush toilet, electricity, and a phone - which is why you're reading this now from the "100 mile wilderness".we were greeted by "ma pine" and "pa pine", the parents of '97 thruhiker, whispering pine... and about 12 dogs. the dogs belonged to all the family and friends of family that were here. not counting us, there were about 20 people here.we were given hamburgers, hotdogs, pasta salad, cole slaw, and potato salad. desert items included s'mores, homemade whoopie pies, rasberry pie, and ginger snap cookies. after our initial feast, we did some planning to see if we could stay the night or not. earlier, i said my knee hurt and flora said she felt tired; so maybe we are presenting ourselves with some necessary down time. an overnight here would not overly effect our schedule and we had enough food, so we said we'd stay. our hosts were delighted.by dinner time they had collected eight thru hikers and one ridgerunner. we sat around a large fire in the yard and talked until late. this was a very unexpected treasure to find in the 100 mile wilderness. it definitely soothes the body and spirit and prepares us for the climb we will be doing tomorrow. our last one 'til Big K... they promise.