morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-08-07
From: US Route 2 - Gorham NH

To: Camp near Carlo Col Shelter
Miles today: 17.0

Camp at Carlo Col - 17.0 milesI'm not going to Maine anymore - I'm there. I'm in Maine. Over 1900 miles. Up at 5:30, left at 6:05. Yosemite and I walked right out front and tried to hitch a ride back to the trail. I expected it to be easy since the 2 previous times I tried in this town were easy. But not this time. It took us 2 hours to get a ride. Skunk Ape came by after we had been trying for a half hour. He decided to just walk the 4 miles back to the trail. He got there before we did. I finally got started at 8:25, and of course we went right up hill climbing Mt Hayes. There I caught up to Rainbow and MamMaw B. We walked together for a while, until Trident Col Campsite where we stopped to eat. Of course afterwards, the trail went uphill again then finally down to Gentian Pond Shelter. There I caught up to Roadhouse, Skunk Ape, Banjo, and Meat. They are moving on. I caught Wild Flower and Princess Doah too, but they are going to stay there for the night. I continued north. Meat, Roadhouse, and Banjo kept debating where they were going to stay. They didn't want to do the steep 0.3 mile downhill to the Carlo Col Shelter. While they debated, Skunk Ape, Yosemite and I continued on. Eventually I moved ahead of them too. I seldom pass this many people during the day. Most of the time the 20 year olds are passing me. Anyway, I continued north and finally reached the NH/Maine state line. I'm not going to Maine anymore. I'm there. I'm in my final state. Now all I have to do is walk 281 miles to Mt Kathadin. I wish it were that easy. These will be hard miles. Chesty was sitting by the sign waiting for Roadhouse. We took pictures and we both continued on. It's only another 1/2 miles to the turn off for the shelter, but the rocks immediately got bad. It took a while to do that 1/2 mile. Then I went steeply down a side trail to the shelter. It was packed full of girls. They said they could make room for 2 more, but they also told me a couple of them were sick. No thank you. I don't need to be sleeping next to sick people. A lot of hikers who stayed at the White Mountain Hostel were sick as well. I've also heard of sick hikers around Andover, the next town I'm headed to. It only lasts about 1 day, then a day when they are better, but weak. I'm trying not to catch it. I searched for a tent site and found an empty platform. There are already people camped everywhere. Chesty found a semi flat piece of ground and is camping there. When Yosemite arrived, he cowboy camped on the same platform I had my tent on. Skunk Ape and Flash arrived and also found poor campsites in the woods. Well, it's a home for the night.
Date: 2012-08-09
From: Grafton Notch - Jane Kent's cabin in Norway ME

To: Grafton Notch - Jane Kent's house in Norway ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Grafton Notch - staying at Jane Kent's house in Norway Maine - 0.0 miles21st zeroI couldn't resist the offer to take a day off at this beautiful cabin with such a wonderful family. So here I am relaxing at a cabin in Maine with Jane and her family. I slept late, and they had a wonderful breakfast with eggs, bacon, fruit, toast and Orange Juice. It was so nice. Afterwards, Jane asked if I wanted to go kayaking. I wasn't sure since I'm not a very good swimmer, so she and Jim went for a kayak on the lake. When they returned they asked if I wanted to water ski. Again I resisted, but this time I agreed to go kayaking while Jane, Jim, Nicole, Pete, and Douglas went water skiing. I kayaked around the lake for an hour and watched them ski. Then I went back to the dock and sat with Jim senior until everyone returned. After lunch, Jane, Nicole, Pete, and Douglas took me into Norway. They needed to buy food and I needed to buy a birthday gift for my wife. After we all took care of everything, it was back to the cabin. All day long I was excessively tired; more than I should have been. Then, as dinner time approached, my stomach started to feel a little unsettled. They had a wonderful dinner with grilled Halibut and Salmon. It was very good. But after eating my stomach became very unsettled. Eventually, I had to excuse myself even before dessert came. I went up to bed feeling sick. I'm sure it had absolutely no relationship to the food, it was great. Several hikers have been sick lately. I thought I was OK, but now I know better. I feel bad about bringing the bug to their home. Dinner on my already unsettled stomach was just the final trigger that set off what was already going to happen anyway. I laid there unable to sleep because my stomach felt bad. As time progressed, I knew I would vomit. I was just laying there waiting for it to happen. About midnight, it did. I vomited and had diarrhea twice. Afterwards I was at least not as distressed and slept off and on. Then during the night, there was also a loud thunderstorm which woke me up. I did not sleep much all night. Once again, thanks to Jane and her whole family for being so nice, hospitable, and understanding. They are some very special friends.
Date: 2012-08-10
From: Grafton Notch - Jane Kent's house in Norway ME

To: Grafton Notch - Jane Kent's house in Norway ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Grafton Notch - staying at Jane Kent's house in Norway Maine - 0.0 miles22nd zero; sick I didn't get up until 8:00, but I was still tired since I didn't sleep much last night. My stomach was still unsettled. I only drank water for breakfast. Jane and her family were very understanding and kind, and suggested I stay until I felt better. Considering how I felt, I couldn't turn that down. After talking and reading the newspaper, I went back to take a nap. I slept from 10:15 till 2:00. That felt good. They had Wonton Soup for lunch so I ate some of the broth and crackers. That stayed down and didn't bother me. Good. I sat around the rest of the afternoon, resting. This evening more family members came to stay for the weekend. So I have to move out of the room I was sleeping in. I will sleep on the couch tonight. I ate dinner avoiding some foods and felt OK. Hopefully tomorrow I will be back on the trail.
Date: 2012-08-11
From: Grafton Notch - Jane Kent's house in Norway ME

To: Andover ME - 'The Cabin' Hostel
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: overcast clouds

East B Hill Road - 'The Cabin' Hostel - Andover ME - 10.3 miles1st river fordLast night I slept on the couch, but I slept much better than the night before. It was comfortable and I was tired. After a good night's sleep,I got up at 7:00 feeling better. Time to hit the trail again. We had breakfast and shortly after 9:00, Jim and Jane drove me back to the trail. It was 10:00 when I started hiking. The trail climbed Bald Plate Mountain. At first, everything was good the trail was just water logged and had water standing in many places. After I crossed the first peak of Bald Plate, and started to climb the second peak, the trail was a huge slab of wet rock. The kind you can just walk up when it's dry, but when it's wet like today and your shoes are wet too, you don't have any traction. I proceeded exceptionally slow. I was afraid that if I slipped there, I would slide way down the mountain since there was nothing there to stop the slide. Eventually, I reached the summit and started down. It didn't get easier. The trail quickly moved into the trees, so I wouldn't fall as far if I slipped, but it was steep down over slick wet rock. I again had to proceed very slowly. Eventually I reached Frye Shelter and took a break. It took 4 1/2 hours to go 5 1/2 miles. The first 2 miles were reasonable, but the last 3 1/2 miles were slower than a turtle. Past the shelter, the trail was wet but OK. I moved along good until I reached Dunn Falls. The stream was swollen from the last 2 night's rain, and the stones normally used to cross it were all well below the water. I went upstream where it was a little better, changed into my crocs, and forded across; my first river ford on this trip. There will be more since Maine has several more to ford even in good conditions. I reached East B Hill Road, and tried to hitch to town. It was 10 minutes before the first car came, but he picked me up. So all was good. I reached Pine Ellis Lodging in Andover about 6:00, only to find they were already full. I called 'The Cabin', another hostel in town and he came and picked me up. There I got a dinner, shower, did my laundry, and went through my resupply. All is good.
Date: 2012-08-12
From: Andover ME - 'The Cabin' Hostel

To: South Arm Rd - Andover - Pine Ellis Lodging
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: light rain

South Arm Road - Pine Ellis Hostel - Andover ME - 10.1 miles247 miles to go2nd river fordI was up at 6:45 for a 7:00 breakfast. Ate, packed up, and left on the shuttle about 8:00. I was walking by 8:30. The trail was completely waterlogged from the rain the last few nights, and it rained lightly off and on keeping me and everything else wet all day. Of course, the trail went up and it was slow going. It took me until noon to reach Hall Mountain Shelter where I stopped for a lunch break. While there, I first considered where I might go for tonight. Stay here? It's to early to stop. Go to the next shelter? That's too far. Camp at the campsite a couple miles up? The ground is so waterlogged all the sites might be under water. Or, I could go to South Arm Road, and go back to Andover for the night. Well, that was an easy decision; town it was. I called Pine Ellis this time to reserve space and a ride to town. Good, I'm in. So off I went. The trail went down steeply, but it was dirt so I didn't have any problems. At the bottom it turned steeply back up Moody Mountain. That was a long hard climb. There were only a few places I had to scramble, but it seemed to continue longer than I expected. I was beat when I reached the top, but from there the down trail to South Arm road was easy. The stream right at the road was swollen from the rains. There were stones to cross it and all were OK, except the first. With the water level high, I figured I could not get from the bank to the first rock without getting in the water. So, if I am going to get wet getting to the first stone, there is no use in trying to balance myself on the stones at all. I put my crocs on, and forded across. On the other side was South Arm Road. I sat down to snack while I waited for my ride to arrive. They picked me up at 4:40 and I was at Pine Ellis at 5:00. Pine Ellis is much nicer than the cabin. I got a shower, put my laundry in, and went to town to eat.
Date: 2012-08-13
From: South Arm Rd - Andover - Pine Ellis Lodging

To: Beamis Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.0

Beamis Mountain Shelter - 7.0 milesMuch harder than the mileage indicates240 miles to goIt poured again last night. That's 4 nights in a row. The trail is going to be waterlogged. I slept until 6:10. No rush since I am going to wait until the Post Office opens at 8:30 so I can send a long sleeve under armour shirt, gloves, and liner socks back home. Together they weigh close to a pound. I got them in case it was cold in the Whites or here in Maine. I don't need them, so I'm not going to carry them any more. I got packed up, and went into town to get breakfast while I waited for the Post Office to open. I was at the Post Office when they opened at 8:30, mailed my stuff, and walked back to the hostel. I was getting shuttled at 9:00. I started hiking about 9:15. Uphill, of course. It was 2.8 miles up to reach the top of Mt Blue. It took me 2 hours. My feet are wet because the trail is waterlogged. There is water everywhere on the trail. It was after 11:00 already, so I took a snack break. I figured it is only 4.2 miles to Beamis Mtn Shelter, so I took off, planning to stop for another break when I got there. I hiked up and over Beamis Mountain and 3 1/2 hours later, and finally got to the shelter. I've only gone 7 miles since I started, but it has been 6 hours and I am beat. Maine is a very hard state. It's probably even harder than New Hampshire. Even when the elevation profile shows a flat trail, it goes up and down continuously. Not enough cummulatively in a single direction to look like your going up or down, but the body sure feels it. When there are constant rocks and roots, and you are trying to negotiate short but steep up and down rock scrambles, it becomes very tiring. By the time I finished my break, it was 4:00, and the 4+ miles to the next campsite might take me another 3 hours, so I decided to just stay here. My mileage has gone to hell since I got to Maine. At this rate it will take forever to get to Katahdin, but I still hope to start doing a little better soon. It's only 240 miles to go.
Date: 2012-08-14
From: Beamis Mountain Shelter

To: Piazza Rock Shelter
Miles today: 21.2

Piazza Rock Shelter - 21.2 miles90% complete218.6 miles to goUp at 5:30 and gone at 6:30. Today was much better trail. Yesterday I struggled doing 7 miles, today I did 21. There was only minor ups and downs, and few rocks and roots all day. We passed several ponds. I stopped for lunch at Sabbath Day Pond, and again at Little Swift River Pond. I made it to Piazza Rock Shelter by 7:00. The trail was still wet and sloppy, so my feet were wet all day again. By the end of the day my toes were irritated, and I had to stop and put moleskin on them. I also stopped during the day to call my wife, Cheryl. Then later I accidentally called my mother, so we talked too. I am 90% complete today. 218 miles to go.
Date: 2012-08-15
From: Piazza Rock Shelter

To: Spaulding Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: moderate rain

Spaulding Mountain Shelter - 16.9 miles rain202 miles to goUp at 5:30, left at 6:30. It was cloudy when I started the climb up Saddleback Mountain, but soon it started to drizzle, then rain. It was a cold rain. On top of Saddleback I couldn't see anything. I was cold and wet. The wet rocks were very slick and I had to go very slow even though I was cold. The same conditions held true on The Horn and Saddleback Junior. Finally, while on my way down, it stopped raining. At Poplar Ridge Shelter, I stopped for lunch then continued on. During the afternoon the trail was better and the sun even came out for a while. Then, as I was a few miles from Spaulding Mountain Shelter, I could see rain clouds forming again. I started to hurry. I pushed hard for an hour. When I was 5 minutes away from the shelter, it started to rain again. I was soaked by the time I got there. In the shelter I put on dry clothes, made dinner and watched it rain. I hope it's better tomorrow.
Date: 2012-08-16
From: Spaulding Mountain Shelter

To: Spaulding Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Spaulding Mountain Shelter - 0.0 miles rain 23rd zero dayRain all dayGot up at 5:00 hoping to hike 14 miles and beat the predicted rain. It wasn't raining yet, but I could hear thunder in the distance. I listened and it seemed to be getting closer. Then I saw lightening in the distance. It was still early, so I decided to go back to bed and see what it was going to do. By 5:30 it was raining. It never stopped again all day. I never left the dry shelter. I didn't even get up again until 10:00, and then I just ate breakfast and got back in bed. Skunk Ape and I both stayed. One other, NoBo got up and continued north. It was a long boring day, but I am happy I stayed here; dry, rather than going out in that rain. It had to be miserable out there today. Rain, wet, slippery rocks and roots; just a unpleasant day.
Date: 2012-08-17
From: Spaulding Mountain Shelter

To: Stratton ME - Stratton Motel (hostel)
Miles today: 13.5

Stratton ME - Stratton Motel - 13.5 miles1996.0 complete; 188.2 miles to goUp at 5:30, left at 6:20. I don't have the same quickness packing up in the morning that I used to have, but that's OK. The trail climbed Spaulding Mountain was wet and muddy, but not as bad as I expected after 13 hours of rain yesterday. After Spaulding, we went over Sugarloaf and then steeply down to the South Branch of the Carrabasset River. There was a long board across the main channel, but it had become dislodged and was underwater. If I used the board I would have to wade through the water. My shoes were already wet from the puddles on the trail, so I just forded across the river in my hiking boots. After climbing up on a rock on the other side, and with Skunk Ape on the initial side, we were able to reposition the board and he was able to cross on it. After the ford, the trail climbed South Crocker Mountain. It was long and steep, but since the rocks weren't slick, it was OK. Then down and up North Crocker. From there it was a 5 mile down hill to the road. At the road I got a ride within 5 minutes and was in Stratton Maine by 3:00. Skunk Ape was already there. We stayed at the Stratton Motel (hostel). I did the usual stuff: got a late lunch, took a shower, did laundry, bought resupply, repackaged everything, and finally went to dinner.
Date: 2012-08-18
From: Stratton ME - Stratton Motel (hostel)

To: Little Bigelow Shelter
Miles today: 15.3

Little Bigelow Shelter - 15.3 miles2011 miles done; 173 miles to goUp at 6:00, ready by 6:40, but couldn't find Sue to get a ride back to the trail. So Skunk Ape and I waited, and waited, and waited. About 7:40 we decided to try to hitch. We no more than took our packs out there, when someone offered us a ride. We were on the trail at 8:00. It was a long climb up to Horns Pond. I got there about 11:00 and stopped for lunch. After lunch it was up The Horn, then over to West Bigelow, and then to Avery Peak. It was 2:00. I stopped for a 2nd lunch and to enjoy the view. Afterwards, it was over Little Bigelow and down to Little Bigelow Shelter. It was 6:30.
Date: 2012-08-19
From: Little Bigelow Shelter

To: Pierce Pond Shelter
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Pierce Pond Shelter - 17.7 miles2029.0 miles complete; 155.2 miles to go Up at 5:40, left at 6:20. The walk to West Carry Pond Shelter was flat, but rooty and muddy. My feet are wet again. I reached the pond and shelter about 10:30. I stopped for about an hour for lunch and water. Then on to East Carry Pond where I stopped at the beach to enjoy the view. I ate again, then moved onward. After another flat section, I was at Pierce Pond Shelter by 4:15. Overall, not a bad day, but I'm still tired. Tonight at the shelter there were 2 SoBo Thru Hiker wannabes. They are novices, and have been 20 days going 155 miles to here. Their packs were overloaded, and they didn't know what they were doing. They are unlikely to complete the trail. They told us they are being sponsored by Backpacker Magazine and are testing gear for them. Well, if they get novices like these guys to review gear, then I now understand why Backpacker reviews are so poor, and have so little valuable information. There are alot more diligent and experienced people who would be willing to truly review gear. However, they might get negative comments about the gear, which would not be appreciated by the manufacturers who place ads in their magazine.
Date: 2012-08-20
From: Pierce Pond Shelter

To: Pleasant Pond Shelter
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Pleasant Pond Shelter - 9.7 miles2038.7 complete; 145.5 to goUp at 5:30, left at 6:10. Skunk Ape and I hiked over to Harrison's Camp to get a pancake breakfast, but no one was around. You are supposed reserve a place the night before, but we didn't have cell phone service, and I wasn't going to walk the extra 3/4 mile each way. So I guess since he didn't have any other customers, he didn't bother to get up. From Harrison's we hiked the 3+ miles to the Kennebec River Ferry. We were there at 8:15, and ferry service isn't until 9:00-11:00. So I sat down to eat a delayed breakfast. At 9:00 we could hear rumblings from the other side of the river, then we saw the ferryman putting his canoe in the river and paddling across. By 9:30 we were across the river. We walked a short distance to Highway US 201 in Caratunk, Maine. Caratunk is a little nothing town, but there is a Northern Outdoor Center a few miles north on 201. We decided to go there to get a hot breakfast. After about 10 minutes of trying to hitch a ride, a lady going the opposite direction stopped and told us she was going to drop someone off, but then she would come back and pick us up. Great. She came back and drove us to the Outdoor Center and even offered to come back in an hour and drive us back to the trail. Great, some Trail Angels are wonderful, kind people. I got 2 eggs, 2 pancakes, and 2 toast with orange juice. It was great even after having just eaten my pop tarts, nuts, crackers and jerky while waiting for the ferry. As we finished up, the Trail Angel actually came inside looking for us to take us back. We paid our bill and off we went. I was back on the trail hiking at 11:10. The trail from Caratunk to Pleasant Pond Shelter was pleasant. A mild uphill climb, but not hard. I was at the shelter by 1:30. Skunk Ape had already been there and continued on. It's another 9 miles to the next shelter and I could have done it, but I just didn't feel like it. So I stayed put at Pleasant Pond Shelter after a short 9+ mile day. I took a nap and chilled out all afternoon.
Date: 2012-08-21
From: Pleasant Pond Shelter

To: Horseshoe Canyon Shelter
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Horseshoe Canyon Shelter - 22.0 miles. Morning rain2060.7 Complete; only 123.5 miles to goWoke up at 5:15 to rain. The weather forecast said it would be nice. So even though I wanted to get going, I turned over and slept until 5:45. It was still raining, but I can't sleep all day. I packed up and left in light rain at 6:30. The rain made the rocks and roots slippery, so even though I was full of energy, it was slow going up Mt Pleasant. With the wet rocks I had to go slow down the other side too. About 9:00 it stopped raining and I stopped for a snack. Afterwards, things started to dry quickly and it turned into a beautiful day. Up Mt Moxie and down; not bad. Then a long level stretch. During the day I had 4 river fordings. Two were listed in the guide as fords, the other 2 were not; but even ankle deep water will soak your feet if there aren't any stones to step across on. The 2 listed fords were each wide and above the knees. For the first ford, one of the unexpected little ones, I didn't bother to take my boots off. They were already wet from the morning rain. But by the second ford they were drying out, so I switched to my crocs. The 3rd was another unexpected little one, and I was annoyed, so I just walked through it in my boots. When I came to the 4th, my boots were wet, and I just waded in. I reached Horseshoe Canyon about 6:30, tired after 22 miles, but OK. I am getting very close to the finish. Only 123.5 miles to go.
Date: 2012-08-22
From: Horseshoe Canyon Shelter

To: Monson ME - Shaw's Boarding House
Miles today: 9.0

Monson ME - 9.0 miles2069.7 miles complete; 114.5 only miles to go.I slept until 6:00. I don't have to rush today, it's only 9 miles to Monson. I left at 6:45. It's a nice day and the trail was mostly flat. I stopped next to Lake Hebron for a snack and still was at the Route 15 road crossing by 11:40. From there I hitched into town, and reached Shaw's Boarding House by noon. A shower felt great as usual. Afterwards, I walked to the pub for lunch, then I went back to Shaw's and hung out. About 4:00 John Miksit, Alwaysfine, my long time hiking friend, arrived in town. He is going to walk the 100 mile wilderness and up Mt Kathadin with me. It was great seeing him again. He and I completed a section hike of the whole trail together between 1991 and 2006. Then this year, he walked from Georgia to Pennsylvania (not with me), and slack packed me for a few days in northern Pa. After some catching up, we walked back to the pub for dinner and conversation with other hiking friends. It was a great evening.