morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-07-28
From: East B Hill Road

To: South Arm Road / Andover, ME
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: light rain

I was on the trail at 6:30 am. The plan was to hike 10 miles to South Arm Road near Andover, ME. We (me, Terminator, Jailbird) had a reservation to stay at The Cabin, a hostel owned by Honey and Bear. They are a couple in their 80s that have been doing this since 1997. The hike was not too strenuous other than a 1300' foot steep climb over Moody Mountain around mile 8. We made it to the road at 1 pm. Hopper from the hostel met us at the road and stopped in Andover for us to pick up anything we needed. We spent the afternoon cleaning up, doing laundry, drying things out, etc. Dinner was spaghetti, salad, squash, corn on the cob, and garlic bread followed by brownies with ice cream. There were a dozen hikers at dinner and no one went away hungry and there was food left over. Great place!
Date: 2017-07-29
From: South Arm Road / Andover, ME

To: Sabbath Day Pond Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: broken clouds

There was a lot of snoring in the 8 bed bunk room at The Cabin so I didn't sleep that well. I was up before 5 am just as it was getting light outside. Coffee was supposed to be ready at 5 am so I headed upstairs to the kitchen. Bear and Hopper were already busy making breakfast and they got me a cup of coffee. I asked if they needed any help and they put me on the griddle making blueberry pancakes. I cooked 3 dozen of them. Breakfast was at 7 am. The rest of the breakfast included scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits, gravy, cantaloupe, potatoes, coffee and orange juice. As with last night, everyone got all they wanted and there was still food leftover. Hopper dropped us off at the South Arm Road trail head at 8:45 am and we started hiking. The plan was to hike 17 miles to Sabbath Day Pond Shelter. We are trying to get to Stratton, ME which is 60 trail miles north in 4 days which will be next Tuesday. As we head north in Maine the towns are getting fewer and farther between. We had a steep 2200' ascent up Old Blue Mtn. (3600') to start the day and then climbed Bemis Mtn. (3550'). With the late start, I didn't get to the shelter until after 8 pm which didn't leave much daylight to find a spot to set up and have dinner.
Date: 2017-07-30
From: Sabbath Day Pond Shelter

To: Piazza Rock Shelter 
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: overcast clouds

We had another beautiful day of hiking weather..cool, dry, and sunny. Today's hike was intentionally shorter than yesterday's. We didn't have any major mountains to cross. We passed a couple of nice mountain ponds. One of them had a canoe sitting by the shore. Jailbird, one of the guys I have been hiking with the last week, decided to take the canoe out. He jumped in and paddled away from shore but didn't notice the canoe had a rope with a small anchor attached. When he got about 10 yards out into the pond, the canoe "tumped" over as we like to say in Texas. It was a hoot...he looked like a drowned rat. Terminator, my Australian hiking buddy, and I had a good laugh. Jailbird eventually got the canoe back to shore. We continued on. The terrain was very rocky and had a lot of roots. I took a couple of tumbles yesterday and banged up my knees. On the way down to ME 4 which goes into Rangely, ME, I caught my toe on a root and took a bad fall. I reopened some of the cuts and scrapes on my knees and added a few new ones. My knees were pretty bloody. A couple of day hikers commented on them when they passed by. Terminator has developed a heel issue and got off the trail in Rangely at the end of the day to get it checked. I continued on to Piazza Rock Shelter and got there about 3 pm. It was nice getting to the camping area early. I put up my hammock and rested for a bit. Later I washed down my knees and lower legs with soap and water and hit each cut with an alcohol swab. I am trying to avoid another case of cellulitis which took me off the trail last year in Daleville, VA. Tomorrow I am going back to long pants. They will provide some protection and help keep my legs clean.
Date: 2017-07-31
From: Piazza Rock Shelter 

To: Spaulding Mtn. Shelter 
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: clear sky

I left the Piazza Rock Shelter (2089') and was on the trail at 5:40 am. I planned on doing almost 17 miles to Spaulding Mtn. Shelter. There were several steep climbs so I needed to get an early start. The first 4 miles was climbing Saddleback Mtn. (4120') which crossed the tree line. Then it was on to Saddleback Junior (3655) where there great 360 degree panoramic views in all directions. I had lunch around 2 pm after hiking 11 miles at a spot with an open view through the trees. I had one more climb up Lone Mtn. (3249'). I reached the Spaulding Mtn. Shelter around 5:30 pm and put up my hammock. I hiked in long pants today to protect my legs and coated all the cuts and scrapes on my knees and shins with Neosporyn to give them a chance to heal. It was a good day. I had no falls and no new cuts or scrapes and no further damage to the existing ones. I ran into Mr. Shoes and Canalconut again today. They were slackpacking south. They are a father and 14 year old son who live in the U.K. now and who are nearly done with the trail. I had met them crossing the MA / VT state line several weeks ago. It is very impressive for a 14 year old to hike the AT. What memories he will have doing it with his father. Canalconut is home schooled by his father and came up with the idea of hiking the AT. He read one of Benton Mackaye's books on the AT and presented the trip to his parents as a class project which his parents gave two thumbs up to. He looked like he had lost weight since I had seen him last and looked "trail hardened"...a very nice young man as was his father.
Date: 2017-08-01
From: Spaulding Mtn. Shelter 

To: ME 27 / Stratton 
Miles today: 13.5

Today was a shorter day with 13.5 miles into Stratton, ME to resupply for the next several days hiking. I had several long climbs - Spaulding Mtn. (4010'), Sugarloaf Mtn. (4237'), South Crocker Mtn. (4050'), and North Crocker Mtn. (4228'). The last 5 miles coming down off North Crocker to ME 27 leading into Stratton was all downhill and very rocky and full of roots. It took a toll on my knees and legs. Around 2 pm I passed a major milestone, the 2000 mile mark on the AT. I reached the road just before 3 pm. A lady had just pulled up and was setting up Trail Magic. We had a couple of drinks and snacks and visited with her while waiting for our shuttle to the Stratton Motel. There was another lady at the parking area. Her name was Helen. It turns out she was the wife / mother of Mr. Shoes / Canalconut, the father and 14 year old son I had seen yesterday. She was waiting for them at the parking area after a slackpack. Stratton is a small one street town where you can walk anywhere in town. We did laundry and had dinner at the Plaza across the street from the motel. We had a text from Terminator. He was unable to see a doctor in Rangely so he bought a new pair of shoes, got some KT tape for heel, reduced his pack weight, and is back on the trail. He is planning on catching up and being in Stratton tomorrow. Hard to keep an Australian bush walker down!
Date: 2017-08-02
From: Stratton, ME

To: Stratton, NH
Miles today: 0.0

I took a rest day in Stratton today at the Stratton Motel after crossing the 2000 mile mark yesterday. It was a productive day taking care of several items and resting up. I am in the home stretch now with 190 miles to go. There are two towns left before entering the 100 Mile Wilderness - Caratunk, ME at mile 2039 and Monson, ME at mile 2076. It will take 5-6 days to get to Monson and another 5-6 days to get through the 100 Mile Wilderness to Baxter State Park before making he final climb up Mt. Katahdin. Hopefully the great weather will continue. I would like to thank family and friends for the fantastic support and encouragement and especially the prayers on my journey. It means more than you will ever know. Tomorrow I will head out at 7 am with three guys I have been hiking with the last few weeks. "Terminator" from Australia caught up with us today after addressing his heel issues in Rangely. "Hops" from Montana who we hadn't seen since Gorham, NH also walked in today. "Jailbird" from Atlanta fills out the foursome. Terminator is completing his thru-hike which he started in March at Springer Mtn., GA. Jailbird and I are both finishing the trail after doing the southern half last year. Hops is completing the northern half and is doing what is called a "flip-flop" which means he will go to Harpers Ferry, WV and hike the southern half to complete his thru-hike later this year. It is getting increasingly difficult to get a cell signal except occasionally high up on a mountain top so journal updates will likely be delayed on the way in. Many thanks again to all! There is still work to be done. A good friend sent me the following quote from Winston Churchill as encouragement to help get me to the end:"There is no time for ease and comfort. It is the time to dare and endure." (Thank you, Stu!)
Date: 2017-08-03
From: ME 27 / Stratton 

To: Little Bigelow Lean-to
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: scattered clouds

The shuttle from the Stratton Motel dropped us off at the ME 27 trailhead at 7:45 am and we started hiking. The first hour the terrain was gentle which was nice since I didn't hike yesterday. I had about 15 miles to hike today which included over 5000' of ascents and 5000' of descents over the Bigelow Mountain Range. Many hikers said the Bigelows were their favorite mountains in Maine. These are the last 4000 footers before the trail begins to flatten out until Mt. Katahdin. First I climbed Bigelow West Peak (4145') which has some of the best views in Maine and has a large alpine zone on top. Next I crossed Bigelow Avery Peak (4088'). It is named after Myron Avery, the architect of the AT and responsible for bringing the AT to ME. It was also above the tree line and had great panoramic views. Both peaks were exposed and I could see clouds and lightning to the east as well as to the west. There were none directly overhead but I crossed both of these peaks and got off them as fast as I could with my lightning rods (metal hiking poles). From there I went down to Stafford Notch (2229') and up and over Little Bigelow Mtn. (3025'). Around 6 pm, I reached Little Bigelow Lean-to. I was tired and my knees were aching from all the uphill and downhill. I had my dinner and climbed into my hammock and promptly fell asleep.
Date: 2017-08-04
From: Little Bigelow Lean-to

To: Pierce Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: moderate rain

I left the Little Bigelow Lean-to at 5:45 am. I had 17.7 miles to cover to the Pierce Pond Lean-to. The terrain was noticeably easier today without the large elevation changes of the previous weeks. There were however still a lot of roots, rocks, and mud which made it difficult to get into a hiking rhythm. Around 9 am, I passed Mile 2023, which was 1000 miles since leaving Harpers Ferry, WV on June 1. It was overcast, foggy, and humid most of the day. I walked along the edge of West Carry Pond, East Carry Pond, and Pierce Pond. There was a sign at West Carry Pond that said in 1775, Col. Benedict Arnold led an army of 1000 American soldiers down a portage trail, which the AT follows, and crossed West Carry Pond and went on to the Kennebec River on their way to attack Quebec. That was a good history tidbit! I stopped several times and ate blueberries from the bushes along the shore of East Carry Pond. I had my lunch at the East Carry Pond Sandy Beach. The sun finally came out when I got to Pierce Pond and I had a view of the lake. I arrived at the lean-to at 3 pm. It was nice getting in early. I put my hammock up and took a nap. I had dinner around 6:30 pm and crawled back into my hammock to update my journal. Tomorrow morning I will hike 4 miles to the Kennebec River and get ferried to the other side in a canoe. I will be in Caratunk, ME when I land on the other side. Rumor has it there is a B&B 150 yards to the east of the trail that has good pulled pork sandwiches. That I am going to investigate!
Date: 2017-08-05
From: Pierce Pond Lean-to

To: Bald Mtn. Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 18.7

I left the Pierce Pond Shelter at 6 am. I had about 4 miles to hike to the Kennebec River. There you take a canoe ferry across the river, 2 hikers at a time. The ferry operates from 9 am-2 pm. I wanted to get there early in case there was a long line to cross. I got to the river about 7:45 am and was third in line to cross. We waited until 9 for the ferry to start running. There were a dozen hikers in line by 9 am. The river crossing is about 100 yards wide. The water level can vary 2-4 feet and the current can be strong as there is an upstream dam so the ferry is the only safe way to cross. I crossed the river and met a guy who was part of a ATC sponsored group section hike. He asked me my trail name and I told him Volunteer. He asked if I was from Tennessee. It turned out he lived in Kingsport, TN and worked at Eastman his entire career. He looked to be my age or older. I told him my father had worked there and he thought the name Robert Hester sounded familiar. Small world! I was in Caratunk, ME after crossing the river. The Caratunk B&B was 150 yards off the trail. I went in search of the pulled pork sandwiches and milk shakes I had heard about. There was no pulled pork, but I did have a good hamburger and milkshake. I headed on from there at 10:30 am. I had 15 miles to go to the Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to. I had a 1000' climb up Pleasant Pond Mtn. (2477') after lunch. From there the trail flattered out. It looked like it was going to rain all afternoon. I got to the lean-to at 6 pm and set my hammock up. I had my dinner and around 7:30 it started raining. I got in my hammock and listened to the rain come down and fell asleep. I was tired after a long day and hiking almost 19 miles.
Date: 2017-08-06
From: Bald Mtn. Brook Lean-to

To: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to
Miles today: 13.0

The plan for today was to hike 13 miles to Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to. It rained last night from 7:30 pm until 2 am. I stayed dry and slept well in my hammock. I slept in until 5:30 am then started the morning ritual. The only wet item I had to pack was my rainfly. I left the Bald Mtn. Brook Lean-to (1304') at 7 am. The front brought cooler temperatures and clear skies. I had a 1300' climb to start the day up Moxie Bald Mtn. (2629') and North Peak Moxie Bald (2343'). About noon we reached the W Branch Piscataquis River. The crossing was 50 feet wide and the water was calf deep and there were no rocks to cross on. We took our shoes and socks off and tied them to our packs and forded the stream. We had lunch on the other side. From there we only had 3 miles to the lean-to. We got there about 2:30 pm. I set my hammock up and took a nap from 4-6 pm. I had dinner and visited with some other hikers at the lean-to. I called it a day around 8 pm and got in my hammock and caught up on my journal entries. Tomorrow we have 9 miles into Monson, ME and should be there by noon. I am staying at Shaw's Hiker Hostel which has been in continuous operation for 40 years. Bill Bryson referred to it in "A Walk in the Woods" as "the most famous guesthouse on the AT". I have a my last food package to pickup there and am having my medicine delivered there.
Date: 2017-08-07
From: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to

To: ME 15 / Monson
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: light rain

It got colder than usual last night...I am guessing in the 40s. I was on the trail before 7 am. I had to ford the Piscataquis River again after about 2 miles. This crossing was knee deep vs. the one yesterday which was calf deep. I finished the 9 miles to ME 15 / Monson at 11 am. Terminator got there shortly thereafter and I called Shaw's Hiker Hostel to pick us up. I had two packages waiting for me at Shaw's - my last food resupply and a new pair of shoes. My old shoes didn't look like they were going to make it to the finish line despite my two repair attempts so I ordered a new pair online in Stratton when I was there last week. Poet and his wife, Hippy Chick, own and run Shaw's now. They thru-hiked together I'm 2008. They are from Florida and bought Shaw's a couple of years ago. Poet's real name is Jared Hester. We shared where our families are from to see if we might be related. Hippy Chick's parents own the AT Lodge in Millinocket. Her father (Paul / "Ole Man"), a Vietnam veteran with a damaged foot from stepping on a land mine, thru-hiked in 2006 and inspired them to do it. I am planning to stay at the AT Lodge the night before I summit Mt. Katahdin (5267'), which I am tentatively planning for Tuesday, August 15 if we can make it through the 100 Mile Wilderness in six days. When I had stayed at the The Cabin in Andover, ME, I had lost a small Swiss Army knife. When I got to Shaw's Poet had it. I had told Bear at The Cabin I had lost my knife and he gave me one a hiker had left behind. Someone at The Cabin found mine and turned it in and Bear sent it ahead with a Ridgerunner who was coming here knowing I would be staying here. I was blown away by Bear's act of kindness. Today I will mail the loaner knife back to Bear. I am taking a rest day today while I wait for my medicine to be delivered. Tomorrow I will hike out and start the 100 Mile Wilderness and the last 115 miles of the trail.
Date: 2017-08-08
From: ME 15 / Monson

To: Monson, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

One of the things Shaw's is known for is its great breakfast. They did not disappoint! Breakfast included 3 eggs cooked any way you wanted, bacon, fried potatoes, blueberry pancakes, orange juice, and coffee. I spent most of the day making arrangements for the rest of the trip, waiting for UPS to deliver my medicine, and relaxing. We are planning on 6 days to do the 110 miles to Baxter State Park. We will hike 69 miles the first four days and spend the night at the White House Landing. This was recommended by Hooshr who thru-hiked last year. It is a fishing camp on a lake where they pick you up from the trail in a boat and take you to the camp and serve you dinner and breakfast. From the middle of the lake you have a great view of Mt. Katahdin. That will leave 40 miles for the last two days. Since camping is limited in Baxter State Park, a shuttle from the AT Lodge in Millinocket will pick us up Monday evening and take us there for the night, then bring us back the next morning to summit Mt. Katahdin. It is hard to believe we are near the end and there is only one week left. I am sure I will experience a lot of emotions and will have a lot of thoughts going through my head as I hike in and get ready to go up Mt. Katahdin. My medicine finally arrived around 4:30 pm and I did my injections. Shaw's is going to shuttle us back to the trail at 6:30 am tomorrow so we can get an early start and a good full day in.
Date: 2017-08-09
From: ME 15 / Monson

To: Cloud Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 19.2
Weather: broken clouds

Gary who does the food drops for Shaw's in the 100 Mile Wilderness picked Terminator and me up at Shaw's at 6:15 am and shuttled us to the trailhead. We wanted to get an early start so we can have a good day to set ourselves up for getting to White House Landing on Saturday. We need to hike 69 miles and average over 17 mpd to get there. The highlight of the day came about 11 miles into the day about 2 pm when we came to a logging road and a sign that said Trail Magic 1/8 to the right. Trail Magic was the last thing I expected in the 100 Mile Wilderness! A southbounder had mentioned it to us a mile earlier and said we needed to check it out. We took the logging road and came to a hunting cabin. There were a couple of other hikers there. We were warmly greeted by Scout and Birdman. Scout provides Trail Magic to hikers to honor his late son who thru-hiked the AT in 1994. As soon as we walked up, they gave us a seat on the porch, Birdman threw a hot dog and hamburger on the grill for each of us, and they showed us a cooler with anything you could possibly want to drink. Scout handed me a copy of the January 2017 issue of Backpacker magazine in which they had been featured (see photos). We visited with them for an hour and enjoyed the food and fellowship and got a tour of the hunting cabin, then headed on our way. I can't remember any better Trail Magic than this. We had about 8 miles to go from here so the early afternoon treat definitely was a shot in the arm. We reached Cloud Pond Lean-to around 7 pm. It was a great first day in the 100 Mile Wilderness!
Date: 2017-08-10
From: Cloud Pond Lean-to

To: Sidney Tappan Campsite 
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: light rain

I left the Cloud Pond Lean-to at 6:45 am. The plan was to do almost 18 miles today to the Sidney Tappan Campsite. We had another day of great weather. We had a lot of climbing in the morning over Chairback Mtn. which consists of four peaks. After lunch we forded the W. Branch Pleasant River which was 100 feet wide and shin deep. This is the last ford on the trail. The trail flattened out after this and followed the Gulf Hagas Brook for the next couple of miles. We had a 700' climb late in the day up Gulf Hagas Mtn. just before reaching the campsite. It was another good day in the 100 Mile Wilderness. We are hoping to do about 20 miles tomorrow so we will only have 11 miles on Saturday into White House Landing so we can enjoy the afternoon there.
Date: 2017-08-11
From: Sidney Tappan Campsite 

To: Jo-Mary Road
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: broken clouds

Today we had our last major climbs before Mt. Katahdin. First thing this morning we climbed a combined 1500' up West Peak (3181'), Hay Mountain (3244'), and White Cap Mountain (3644'). We started hiking shortly before 7 am and had these done by 9 am. The clouds rolled in and we didn't have much of a view from White Cap. However, off to the west we could faintly see Mt. Katahdin in the distance about 70 trail miles away. This was my first view of Mt. Katahdin from anywhere along the trail. The top of it was above the clouds. After lunch we had another 500' climb up Little Boardman Mountain (2017'). We passed by Crawford Pond and the next 8 miles to Jo-Mary road were relatively flat. I got there about 5:30 pm. Terminator got there 30 minutes ahead of me and had a stealth campsite next to a steam picked out. Tomorrow we have 11 miles to the pickup point to White House Landing. We want to get there by noon so will get an early start so we can enjoy the afternoon at the fishing camp. We have seen fewer and fewer SOBOs on the trail the last couple of days. All the SOBO thru-hikers have passed by. Occasionally we will see a flip-flopper heading south from Katahdin to Harpers Ferry or elsewhere. Several times people have stopped to talk and congratulated us on finishing the AT. They are sincerely happy for us impressed with the accomplishment. How often does a total stranger come up to you and say something like that? We are really kindred spirits who love the outdoors and hiking and not strangers at all. They know what it takes to make the dream a reality and all the things that can stop if from happening.