morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-08-12
From: Moxie Bald Lean-to

To: Monson (Shaw's Lodging)
Miles today: 17.9

Easy mileage today. I had a quickness in my step today for I was anxious to get to ME15 to meet my parents and my sister. It was nice hiking in good weather again today. There was very little elevation gain to speak of either. I forded the East and West Branch of the Piscatiquis River today which was a nice excuse to get my feet wet. The trail followed the west branch for a good majority of the hike which was nice. I was over and done with my hike by 1:30 and my family was waiting with there truck and even a grill on back. It would be a barbeque this afternoon. I checked into Shaw's and met Sue who is a wonderful woman. This place simply rocks. After checking in we went to a beach nearby for a feast. Steak, Ribs, Coleslaw, Corn, and Macaroni Salad were on the menu this afternoon. It was unbelievable. Then I resupplied for my last wilderness experience on the trail. Then I said my goodbyes and settled down for the night. I am really tired tonight and hope to get some good rest for tommorrow. As far as I know Tapioca will meet me tommorrow here and join me for a day and a half or so on the trail. It will be nice to se him. My pack will be cumbersome and heavy tommorrow, but it will be filled with treats for a hundred miles or so. It was definitely weird resupplying for basically the last time. It gives a sort of finality to my journey that I am and am not ready for. It will be nice to walk on familar ground in the wilderness again. This section is unique in its remoteness in a way. Hopefully my full belly and a nice rest in a bed will prepare me for it. I have been looking forward to this moment for a while and will enjoy it to its fullest. This is it. The begining of the end. What a journey it has been.
Date: 2007-08-13
From: Monson (Shaw's Lodging)

To: Wilson Valley Lean-to
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: scattered clouds

What a night of good rest at Shaw's Lodging. I was out like a light early and slept comfortably all night. It was exactly what I needed in order to be refreshed and ready for my final week. I was up early and started drinking the delicious coffee made available there. I paid an extra 6 bucks for the breakfast which was more than worth it. Eggs, sausage, bacon, homefires and french toast were heaped on a plate. It was great. I had second helpings of french toast. I had forgotten how much I loved it. I lounged around waiting for Chad(Tapioca) to show u.p He was there right around when he said he would be and hardly recognized me at first. I guess I have changed a litle more than I thought. We got to the trailhead at a descent hour and began walking on slick rocks and roots from the rain the night before. It was to be a short day because he decided just to hike in and hike back out tommorrow It was a nice day to relax and enjoy the weather and the beautiful terrain. I'll have to crank up the miles for the rest of the week but I'll be ready. I feel good and I am motivated to hike. I feel that I am ready to complete this journey now. I am ready for a break. It has been a long trail and has been great fun. Chad and I reminisced about our journeys when he was hiking. It was great talking about those times. It feels like yesterday. I look forward to looking back on this incredible experience. I feel changed and even more aware of my surroundings. The readjusting will take time but I have learned patience. One step at a time, one step at a time.
Date: 2007-08-14
From: Wilson Valley Lean-to

To: Carl A Newhall Lean-to
Miles today: 25.5
Weather: overcast clouds

And the beat goes on. I had to start picking up the pace if I want to summit Katahdin on the 18th. I really don't like setting dates for things on the trail but I had to choose sometime for this so people could plan ahead if they wanted to be there. It will require some long days but I'm confident I can handle it.   Today was kind of challenging. Chad and I parted ways this morning and I was on my way. I really put the pedal to the metal this morning. There was an up and down descent to Long Pond Stream then it was a 2,000 foot climb to Barren Mtn(2672'). I stopped at Barren Slide about half way up beacause it has a nice view of Borestone Mtn to the east. From Barren Mtn it was up and down over four more mountains, Fourth, Third, Columbus, and Chairback. They all had nice views at the peak especialy Chairback. I met some thru-hikers along the way, 5 string, Trail Dog, Woodstock, Wingpants, and Long Tall. Wing Pants and 5 String both play the banjo and treated us to a little mini concert at a lean-to. They even played a phenomenal rendition of "Wagon Wheel" in case any know the tune I'm talking about. From Chairback it was down to the pleasant river near Gulf Hagas. The trail doesn't go by the Gulf for some reason. I guess they figure it see's enough foot travel as it is. From the river it was up to the lean-to setting me up good for a few climbs including Whitecap. I am hoping it is nice out tommorrow so I can get a view from Whitecap. Last time I was here it was raining sideways at the peak. Also nice weather will aide me in another good day. After these few peaks it wil be relatively smooth sailing until Katahdin. Just rambling along in the woods by nice and picturesque lakes and streams. It was nice and cool today. Hopefully the weather can hold for at least four more days. That's all I need for now. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Well only 78.6 miles left. That seems so ridiculous to me. I can't believe I have come so far. Well I need some good rest for tommorrow. I'm going to need it.
Date: 2007-08-15
From: Carl A Newhall Lean-to

To: Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to 
Miles today: 30.3
Weather: light rain

Wow, what a day. Rain began to fall early this morning and I began to wonder if my intentions of covering big miles would be foiled by incessant rain fall. I got up early and prepared myself like I have been with coffe and cereal. Then I set out in a light rain. I climbed up Gulf Hagas Mtn and was instantly soaked from high grasses and bushes alongside the trail. It was raining but still oddly kind of clear out. I pushed onto West Peak and then Hay Mtn and then went up Whitecap Mtn(3600') The rain subsided before I got to the top. It was really windy but the views were stunning. I was blown away by how beatiful it was out. I thought it was surely going to be impossible to see anything. Katahdin was engulfed with a rain shower but I waited and made the right choice as it cleared and revealed the monolith. It was fantastic. I got a little teary seeing it so close. I could see everything I would be covering in the next couple days. The rock slides on Katahdin were as clear as day. It was definitely a highlight of my trip. From there it was all down for a while. There would only be a few bumps in the trail before I got to the greatest mountain. I made quick work of the miles from this point. When I was crossing the East Branch of the Pleasant River I noticed a Moose and her Calf coming out of the bushes. I watched them for a while and snapped some photos. Then I left quietly so I wouldn't disturb them. There would be no more rain for the rest of the day either. It was really easy going after I climbed Little Boardman Mtn. It was great. I remembered this section with great fondness from my last trek through the 100 mile wilderness. I passed great stands of Hemlock and even red pines. The sun even cam out in the late afternoon and I was able to bask in its warmth along one of the many beaces along Lower Jo-Mary lake. It turned out to be an incredible day on the trail once again. Tommorrow I believe I will cover big miles again which will give me an easy day to the birches campsite by Katahdin Stream on Friday and then I'll just have Katahdin to climb Saturday. The forecast looks tremendous for that day. Apparently it is going to be fall like temps which will really be great. Only three more days on the trail. Man it is just so hard believe I am this close to the end. I will definately enjoy these last days as much as I can. I know I keep on saying this but it has been a awesome journey and I really hate to see it end.
Date: 2007-08-16
From: Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to 

To: Hurd Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 29.7
Weather: light rain

Well another day down in the books. It was another long one but it sets me up for an easy day tommorrow and then I just have to climb Katahdin on Saturday. It was nice, cool and sunny this morning. The miles went by quickly at the beginning. The trail went through some nice tree stands of hemlock and cedar and then it followed Nahmakanta Stream for many miles. It was a nice walk. I chilled out at Nahmakanta Lake for a long time and met a couple from Old Town out camping by the lake. They were nice and gave me some snacks that I devoured instantly. Then I followed the trail that skirted the lake for along time. Then it went up Nesuntabunt Mtn. There was a nice view of Katahdin from there. Then it went down by Pollywog Gorge and eventually followed Rainbow Stream for a while. Then it passed a few ponds. I heard a loud splashing noise and saw a huge Bull Moose plowing through the water. I sneaked to the edge through some trees and snapped a few pictures and watched for a bit. Then the trail went by Rainbow Lake. I stopped by the edge near a campsite and got some refreshing water from a spring. Then I watched about 8 Loons swimming around. I believe that they get together like this once a summer around August. I guess it is like a Loon party or something because they usually are in pairs or by themselves. Then it was up to theRainbow Ledges for another nice view of Katahdin. I am so close to the end it astounds me. I thought about what it will be like when I am done and it is hard to picture it. Despite these long days I have been putting in and the fact I have come over 2100 miles it doesn't make me sick of hiking yet. My body has become built for this. I am never sore and I am usually not all that tired. It is kind of amazing. I don't know what I will do to keep myself busy. I'm sure I will find a way. Tommorrow should be easy as pie. I will stop by the Abol bridge stoe tommorrow morning and spend the six bucks and channge I have to by food. There is no way to obtain money there so I need to pay for a campsite at the Birches and by some snacks. Hopefully it isn't too pricey there. I will see I guess. Well it's hiker midnight so I guess I'l get some sleep.
Date: 2007-08-17
From: Hurd Brook Lean-to

To: The Birches Campsite
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: clear sky

Really nice day today. I woke up to blue skies and a sunny day. I kind of wished I was finishing today purely because of the weather, but it was nice hiking regardless. I made my way down to Abol Bridge and the campground store to start things off this morning I was pleasantly surprised to see they accepted visa so I could by some much needed food and snacks. I really cannot get enough food right now, it is ridiculous. Then from there it was a a nice walk to the campsite. I basically followed streams for the majority of the day. Not just any streams but the ones that are crystal clear and refreshing looking. There were rapids and waterfalls all along the way. It was nearly impossible to make much progress and it didn't really matter because I was so close anyway. I stopped by Big Niagara Falls which was really powerful and then I sort of capped the walk off with a nice stop by Elbow Pond. There was a moose just chilling out across the wasy so I figured I would watch for a while. Mount OJI was in the background as well so it was nice. From there I simply walked to Katahdin Steam Campground and stopped for the day. I went to the Rangers office to register to stay. While I was there he gave me my application for a 2,000 miler certificate. Which is kind of like a piece of paper saying you're done. I guess I'm as ready to finish as I'll ever be. It is just going to happen and that's all there is to it. I guess I could use a rest anyway. I have been really tired mentally lately. So tommorrow is the big day. Hopefully it is nice, right now a storm is passing through. It is really starting to cool down. It should be nice sleeping. I know I sure can use the rest. Oh, I am the 87th thru-hiker to have come through. I was 224 when I was at Harpers Ferry and after leaving three days later there were over 300 who had passed through so I have definitely cruised since then. Cheers to all who have finished and will this year. I know how you feel and it is quite an accomplishment.
Date: 2009-08-22
From: The Birches Campsite

To: Unknown
Miles today: 0.0

Well, It has been over two years since my last entry. That was right after I finished up my thru hike on August 18th, 2007. Life has been, well, interesting to say the least. I must say that I have struggled to readjust with my past life after spending over four and a half months on the trail. Hiking was rather easy for me, I simply enjoyed being out there with a lot of people who enjoyed the same thing. Every day there was something new that happened either on the trail or in a nearby town. "Normal life" just doesn't have the same appeal as the trail does I guess. But I eventually managed to shake myself out of the doldrums and continue on with life. I have done quite a bit of hiking or biking since my thru hike or at least as much as I can. I have stayed in touch with a number of my fellow thru hikers either on hiking trips or by phone or internet. This has certainly helped me manage to cope with out the white blazes helping me move along. My fiance Jennifer has also helped as well as my family. I now can look forward to new adventures on the horizon either on the trail or off, and hopefully with other members of MeGaTex. Maybe even a possible PCT thru hike in 2010? Hmmm...we will have to wait and see.Rangoon
Date: 2007-04-18
To: One More Day...
Miles today: 0.0

I have spent the last few months anxiously awaiting the trip of a lifetime. The AT. It's been one of my dreams for ages. Now that I'm finally going for it, it's difficult to describe my emotions. That's the thing about dreams--they are like roller coasters and girlfriends. They will bring you way up and way down. They will spin you around, corkscrewing and jumping through hoops. Dreams define the depth of your soul and the strength of your heart. They are the tests, the final exams, the end-all, be-all of what makes you you. The AT is no different. Climb high, fall fast. Take everything in because it is a ride you won't forget.So, tonight Jenni drops me off in Greensboro where I will.....wait for it.....be taking the "Midnight Train to Georgia". I'm "going to find the simpler place and time" in my life. I really don't know what it is I'm looking for...maybe just a place for my life in this Google and Starbucks obsessed world. Only time will tell what is truly in store for me. Until then, happy trails.....sorry, had to do it!Live your dreams..The Rebel Dreamer
Date: 2007-04-19
From: Amicalola

To: Hawk Mtn
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: scattered clouds

This morning I got off a train with nothing but my pack and an " I love you" from Jenni. Maybe that's all I need. Because I sure didn't get any sleep. Dad was absolutely correct about it. You see, train transportation is what comes after coach on an airplane. If you ever get the chance to ride one, jump off a cliff first. While the seats may be bigger and the space more accomodating for luggage, it does not warrant sleep. The seats recline just short of what a 6' tall man needs to lay down. So why not lay against the window, right? Pfft, not unless you were brought up sleeping across metal bars. So, after 7 hours of tossing and turning with no hope for a complete REM cycle, I met Jim Dobbins, a friend of my uncle's at the Gainesville station. He must have thought some other kid was me because we ended up giving a ride to a hiker from DC named Eric. I don't think I'll see that kid again since he was only doing 8-10 miles a day. We hit up a McDonald's for my last greasy meal before I start the journey.Some quick stats I got from the Visitor Center:I am thru-hiker no. 555.Roughly 1500 hikers go northbound with intent to make it to Maine.10% do it.My pack including food and water weighed in at a cool 39 lbsBase pack weight - Approx. 29 lbsOne lady left for Springer w/ a pack of 10 lbsOne idiot left for Springer w/ a 73 lb packWhose idea was it to make Amicalola the approach trail to the AT? Some sort of cruel park ranger joke? Maybe just a hazing ritual or initiation to those being first introduced to the trail. Perhaps foreshadowing. Perhaps foreplay. The approach trail is 8.8 miles of torture for fresh legs and feet. The unaccustomed will find themselves blistered, the unprepared unwelcome. This much is certain--The trail is not to be taken lightly. I speak of this after hiking an additional 7.6 miles to a shelter on Hawk Mtn. It's getting dark and cold here, time to crawl in the sack and pray for a better night's rest than that of my recent past.
Date: 2007-04-20
From: Hawk Mtn

To: Slaughter Creek
Miles today: 20.0

I woke up this morning as expected, at daybreak. However, I did not expect to crawl out of the tent and freeze my nipples off. WHOO!!!! I got out right at the moment the sun came over the ridge. Incredible. If only I could see something that beautiful every morning of this trip, I will have the strength to put every step behind me and take each mountain like any other gentle hill. I can imagine that is how some marriages stay together for better or worse. The man wakes up to his wife's beautiful face and finds the strength to only look and not touch when he sees the different beautiful face of a stranger. I, myself, saw several beautiful "faces" today. Mountaintops, that is. 20 miles from where I began at 7:30 this morning, my feet are on fire. I really wanted to make it to the top of Blood Mountain for the sunset. My mind is saying, "Hell yea! Go for it!", while my feet are saying, "Dude! Come on! 20 miles already!" I think I'll rest at Neel's Gap to keep from overworking myself. No need for ripping bone from muscle in the first week.I saw a tree this morning twisting its way out of one stump into two separate trunks. It reminded me of two good friends of mine, Jon and Erin Russell. We were just kids, babies actually, and we were best friends for my first 3 years of life. We remain friends today, but starting at age 4, I've only been lucky enough to see them once a year or so. I believe most people start out in a similar way with a best friend or two and they just grow apart over time. It's one more part of life that causes sadness and sorrow on the down time, but intense joy when you come back together. Like the branches of that tree, touching ever so briefly when the wind blows and then the moment's gone, we find ourselves reaching out and touching those we once knew.
Date: 2007-04-21
From: Slaughter Creek

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: broken clouds

What a crazy day!!...So much has happened and it feels like I've been gone a week, I met a couple of guys, Joe and MR. Burns, and hiked with them for a while to last night's campsite. Left them there early this morning and thought we might meet up at Neel's Gap in 3 miles. But first, I had to make it up Blood Mountain. I did, no problem--I was already halfway up, anyway. But then I had to go back down. Sounds easy. It's not. The thing is there are few trees on the top past the shelter, so the white blazes start to emerge on the rocks. It seems that the blazes point in the general direction of where to head next. They all do, except one. This one leads to a little deer trail that at first glance looks just like the AT. The problem is that as I descended this trail, it narrowed to nothing and I'm stuck on the backside of Blood Mtn. with almost no water and without a clue. I figure the best thing to do is to just keep going down...surely the trail will switchback and I'll run into it at the bottom. 45 minutes, 16 cuts, and 100 scratches later, I lucked on a blue-blazed trail. I started left, then I turned back right for 1/4 mile and then turned around again, remembering the Freeman trail that we had passed the previous day. I stuck with going left and Lady Luck shined on me the first time today. I found a spring and the AT and made it to Neels Gap. I changed out Dad's 6 1/2 pound pack for a smaller 2 1/2 pound pack that really fits well. The difference is unreal. I feel no strain on my shoulders and little on my hips. 39 lbs at Amicalola to 26 at Neel's Gap ain't terrible. From there, I booked it on one Nalgene full of water for 7 miles to Hogpen Gap and ran into a father/son combo who had been doing a little day hike...The father was a biker and the son was a hiker, interesting duo, those two. They offered a ride and at the time of writing this, I've done 50 miles in three days and thinking about slowing up for awhile. Lady Luck shined twice as the father offered to pay for my bacon cheddar burger at a biker bar, and surprisingly, PJ's Bar and Grill in Helen, GA is pretty stinkin' good at cooking their meat. They dropped me off, wished me well, and I went the next 4.5 miles to Low Gap on no water and I had to drop some logs in the pond, if you know what I'm sayin. Now I'm here by my first campfire of the trail hangin' tight with some prett great company. 3 times luck struck for me, blessings all around.
Date: 2007-04-22
From: Low Gap

To: Tray Mountain
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

Writin' from the top of Tray Mtn. 2 nearly blistering hikes today. The straight down of Blue Mtn combined with the quad-splitting climb up Rocky Mtn. almost made me jump off the top. Rusty was right about that one--my thighs felt like they ripped in half. Thanks bud. But all's well in the promised land now. The same group I slept with in the shelter last night made it up here as well. Another night of good food, good friends, and good fellowship with Half-Beard, Granny Smith, Jesse, and Melissa. An easy 10-miler into town tomorrow and maybe grab a beer with the guys. Pickin' up my first mail drop, too! Keep it real.
Date: 2007-04-23
From: Tray Mountain

To: Hiawassee
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

I write from the top of Kelly Knob. It's early. Only a mile from Addis Gap, it feels like a thousand. The range seemed to mold itself to the trail forcing you to go in only one direction, up. Every time you round a corner and expect it to flatten out, there's another climb waiting for you. The trail taunts you, insults you, and then makes it all worth it at the top. Almost 1000 feet of elevation over that mile and I'm now looking high over the tops of "mountains" that I was sweating over just days ago. The sky melts into the mountains in the distance. The mountains rise up to meet it like a Michelangelo painting. The blues and grays create a silhouette of reverance. Questions run through your head. How far is a mile? What brought me here? Where am I going? I feel accomplished, but know it's far too soon to celebrate. Too many miles and too many hardships await. All a matter of time, I suppose. Until then, take 'em easy.