morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-07-25
From: Orbeton Stream

To: stealth camp
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: scattered clouds

I had to get in my sleeping bag before I could type this up. It is cold out and great sleeping weather! I hung around my campsite enjoying the creek, waterfall, and just how quiet the woods were. I started hiking around 10 ya super late but I'm enjoying myself. A few miles into my hike I met two cool sobo's that told me of a few great places to see moose...I'm on a mission to see one! After that I just cruised and enjoyed the great trail. The trail is getting smoother and smoother. Around noon I noticed a plane kept circling and flying up and down the trail. The thought occurred to me that it might be search and rescue but I wasn't sure. I kept hiking and just enjoying the great weather. A few miles later I met two guys hiking south apart of search and rescue and they questioned me asking if I have seen a 67 year old woman in the last 10 miles. I haven't. She has been missing since Monday and the last contact she made with anyone was where I camped last night. She was on my mind for the rest of the day. The plane continued to fly over me for the rest if the day. Praying for her and wishing there was something I could do. I hiked slow for the rest if the day looking around just in case. I spent a lot of time relaxing at the few views I had today. The two peaks of Crocker mtn were great and I had I take side trails to get to the views but it was worth it. The peaks were so quiet...I tried to hear noise! Maine is beautiful and from the peaks all you see is wilderness! I am camped just south of stratton, i plan on resupplying and getting breakfast there in the morning. I really can't remember the last time I didn't eat poptarts for breakfast. Thankful for a great day on the trail! Oh and at my campsite tonight I heard something crashing down the mtn and grunting, I only caught a small glimpse of it but I think it was a moose. If anyone wants to air drop me some food ill shoot you some coordinates!
Date: 2013-07-26
From: stealth camp

To: Avery campsite
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I left camp around 7 this morning and hiked two miles down to the hwy. thankfully I got a quick hitch in Stratton and I was soon at the diner with a delicious breakfast! I hung out at the diner for a few hours charging my phone and relaxing. After that I resupplied and got some lunch. I was able to talk to NBC a guy that started with me and finished a few days ago. We had a great talk and he gave me a lot of good info as far as trail conditions to come. I was able to get a quick hitch back out to the trail around 2. When I was dropped off and walking back to the trail a news guy pulled up and asked me if he could interview me about the missing lady. I agreed. He informed me that there isn't anything new that has developed and they are still looking. I then began my last big climb up the bigelows until I get to katahdin. Unfortunately the views were all clouded in so I decided to stop hiking in hopes of better weather tomorrow. I am camped between bigelow mtn and Avery mtn. Hopefully the weather will clear by morning. It was also exciting to cross 2000 today! After I setup camp i laid my maps out to the end and I am trying to figure out how to stretch the next 180 miles out to August 10. It's exciting to be so close!
Date: 2013-07-27
From: Avery campsite

To: west carry pond
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: light rain

I had a slow start to my day. I refused to break down camp until the skies cleared so I could enjoy the views from Avery peak and little bigelow. It was worth it! I didn't leave camp until 10, I then hiked .25 up to Avery and sat there for an hour until the skies finally opened up and I had incredible views! Avery is my last big mtn until katahdin so I didn't want to miss the scenery. After Avery I hiked down to little bigelow and at one of the vistas I had a great view back to Avery and bigelow mtns. It was one of my favorite views of the trip. I sat there for a long time and had no desire to leave until the flys found me. Then it was down to the shelter for lunch and a swim. Today was not hot but it was warm enough to make me want to jump into "the tubs." The tubs are small pools of water between 10 foot water falls. I found a nice one for lunch. It was just deep enough to get all the way in and ice my body. It was great recovery and felt so refreshing. I then enjoyed a lot of blue berries at the end of the descent. The rest of the day it was flat and I made great time! It was nice to have a fast pace again. I am camped at west carry pond lean to. The pond or lake is incredible. I sat out there for about an hour watching the sunset, loons, and the water turn to glass. It was extremely peaceful and a great way to end the day! I'm looking forward to the ferry tomorrow! Not sure what my plans are for carratunk but I do plan on zeroing in monson since I am pretty far ahead of schedule.
Date: 2013-07-28
From: west carry pond

To: Sterlington Inn
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: light rain

Today flew by. I woke up early and left camp a bit before 7. 14 miles away was kennebec river where I had catch a ferry that runs from 9-11 or 2-4. When I left camp I figured I would just hang out by the river and catch the one at 2. The trail was super easy and after the first 5 miles I knew there was a shot that I could catch the ferry before 11. The trail continued to be easy enough for a fast pace and I made it there by 10:55. It was my fastest morning I have done on the trail and I didn't intend for it to be. So I caught the ferry aka a canoe across the kennebec river. It was a huge milestone that I have been looking forward to since before my hike! I was the last guy across the river so the MATC guy offered to bring me to the sterlington inn where I planned on spending the night and relaxing for the rest of the day. So I was at the inn by 11:30 after a good day of hiking and I relaxed the rest of the day. Delia and foxtrot arrived a few hours later and we hung out the rest of the evening. It was so nice to get a shower and a dry place to sleep for the rain tonight! Other news...my shirt that I have been hiking in for most of the way is falling apart...I am hoping that it will make it all the way because I refuse to get another one. I think it has 12+ holes in the back of it where my pack rubs it. Every time I take it off it tears a bit more.Enjoying the last few days. I figured it up tonight that I only have 10 more days of hiking at most... The other days will be zeros and playing some where along the way.
Date: 2013-07-29
From: Sterlington Inn

To: Bald Mtn. Brook Lean To
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: few clouds

I got up for breakfast this morning and I resupplied at the inn. These small Maine towns are kind of expensive for resupplying. After that the manager brought Foxtrot, Delia, and I back to the trail. I was excited for the day and looking forward to some easy terrain. The trail was smooth for the first 6 miles just going through the Maine woods. The only climb of the day was 1300 feet up pleasant pond mountain. It was a slippery climb but it didn't last too long. On top I sat down in front of some blueberry bushes and enjoyed the views! The toughest part of the day was the descent off of the mtn. It was really slippery and slow. Once off of the mtn the trail went back to flat and smooth. Foxtrot Delia and I hung out about 2 miles from the shelter for about an hour just relaxing and enjoying the day. The last two miles were easy. Right after I got to camp and got everything setup it began to rain. For once I beat the rain! I cooked dinner and crashed. I knew I was tired, but I think I was out before 7 and I slept through the night.
Date: 2013-07-30
From: Bald Mtn. Brook Lean To

To: East Branch
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Lazy day on the trail! I hung around camp until 9 just reading and relaxing....I was in no hurry to get anywhere. When I finally left I climb 2 miles to the top of moxie bald mtn. It had great views in all directions! I talked to several sobo's while I was up there and had lunch. I sat at the summit for about an hour and a half with no desire to move. I was just super relaxed. I finally managed to hike a bit when I was not stopping to eat blueberries. Once I finished the descent the trail leveled out and it was easy the rest of the day. I am getting to the section of the trail where I will be fording a lot of creeks and I had 3 today. I was able to skip over one but the others were only knee deep. The second and third fords were over the same river and when I crossed the first one the thought of inflating my sleeping pad and floating 5 miles to where the trail crosses again did occur to me and it was super tempting. I hiked on through looking for a nice campsite along the river so I could swim. I ended up hike to the next ford before I found a tent site. I setup camp and relaxed for the rest of the day. This part of the river is also kind of deep and a perfect temperature so I was able to go for a swim! It was a great way to end the day! Looking forward to monson tomorrow....I still can't decided where to stay everyone say lake shore and shaws are great. The sound of the river is putting me to sleep....so goodnight.
Date: 2013-07-31
From: East Branch

To: Lakeshore hostel
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: light rain

I hiked 6 or so easy miles into monson this morning. The miles went by quickly and it was so nice to arrive in the last trail town until Baxter state park. It took me a while to get a hitch into town but finally got a ride. Monson is a super small town, not much going on besides the two hostels and a gas station. After lunch and a shower, the hostel has free kayaks for hikers. So I paddled out for about an hour and let the wind push me all the way back. It was super relaxing and nice to be using my arms for once. I have really enjoyed all of the ponds in Maine and it was nice to be able to go out on one! The rest of the day I spent relaxing and hanging out with other hikers in town. A bubble of hikers caught up with me and I haven't met several of them. So it was cool to meet new nobos! After dinner tonight i started gettimg the itch to be back on the trail. I was planning on zeroing tomorrow but I have sat around all day today and I am ready to be back on the trail, just so I can be in the woods. I would rather spend my last week or so in the woods rather than sitting in town. So tomorrow mid afternoon, I'm going to hike out and see how far I get. As soon as I start north on the trail tomorrow I will be entering the 100 mile wilderness. It is the longest stretch of trail on the AT where you can't resupply. There is a hostel in the middle of it but I'm not going to use it. Ill just carry a heavy pack from the start. Supposedly I will be able to see Katahdin from the north slope of white cap mountain if the weather is good! That will be so exciting!I also had a great surprise waiting for me at the hostel. Short N Sweet the lady who let me stay with her and her family in Hanover sent me a surprise mail drop! She baked some delicious brownie/cookie treats! Thank you so much! I will definitely munch on them in the 100 mile wilderness.The missing hiker has been on all of our minds. There are signs all over every town searching for hikers that might have some information. A game warden stopped by the hostel to talk to hikers. It's crazy they still haven't found her. Praying for her and her family!
Date: 2013-08-01
From: Lakeshore hostel

To: Little Wilson Stream
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: light rain

It has been a great day and I am so happy that I decided to leave town and camp on the trail!This morning I went over to the other hostel in town for breakfast. They have an all you can eat home cooked breakfast for $8. It was delicious and great to share the meal with several other Nobo's. After breakfast I went back to lakeshore hostel to do laundry and relax. Yea...I actually did laundry. I sat around until 10:30 waiting for it to finish then packed up to leave. As I put on my socks I was surprised at how much different clean socks feel compared to what they usually are. I headed out to the road to get a hitch soon after. I needed to hitch 15 miles to Greenville to get to a grocery store and it didn't take long at all to get one. Once in Greenville I did the usual grocery shopping except for 5 days of food and I grabbed lunch at the deli. I went outside and sat on the ground for lunch. It is funny to see people reactions when they pass me. They will usually stare at me, pull their kids closer to them, and walk a little faster. I am used to this at this point of my hike and it kind of makes me laugh. Anyway after that it was back to the trail around 12:30. Since today is kind of a zero day I only hiked 7 miles in to a cool campsite that a sobo told me about. It was a great hike in and I took my time. The highlight of today was little Wilson falls and my campsite that is about .3 down stream from the falls. It is really peaceful and I have the site to myself! I setup camp around 4, gathered some firewood, then soaked in the stream. I was in the mood for a fire! I am sitting by it now relaxing and listening to the stream behind me. I am wanting to get a really early start in the morning just to enjoy one more really early morning and sunrise on the trail and maybe I will see a moose! I'm going to cook some dinner and crawl in my tent around 6:30 ahh the good life.I hear the Colorado Trail is nice this time of year...
Date: 2013-08-02
From: Little Wilson Stream

To: stealth camp
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: clear sky

I had a great night of sleep last night especially with the rain. Once again I woke up early to head out but I couldn't get out of my dry tent...so I pulled my sleeping bag over my head and slept for another hour. I don't mind hiking in the rain at all it's just the getting out of my tent part that is tough for me. After the first few miles my legs were feeling great and ready for the tough day ahead. The ups and downs were not as bad as I thought they would be it was just really slippery. I think I fell 3 times today...all the wet rocks, roots, and mud got me. With all the rain last night and today the fords were a bit tougher. I had two where the water was well above my knee ad flowing. The last brook I forded the trail crossed about 10 yards up stream from a waterfall and that made it a bit more exciting. Finally just after lunch the weather began to clear as I climbed up barren mtn. As I got to the barren ledges the clouds lifted off of the mtn and I was able to enjoy a great view of two lakes to the east. Once I summited barren mtn I climbed an old tower and had great views in all directions. It was so nice to be able to enjoy the views after all the rain this morning. Around 3 a thunderstorm moved in and the sky was very dark. As I climbed fourth mtn it finally hit and lasted for about an hour. I am not a fan of lightening...especially when I am climbing mountains. Thankfully I had enough tree cover to keep me protected. After the storm the skies cleared again and I had incredible views with the sun breaking through the clouds to the west. It was a great day on the trail even with it flooded. It is hard to believe but if the weather is good tomorrow I will be able to see Katahdin for the first time! That's so crazy and I am super excited about it! Also from my campsite tonight I only have 88 more miles left...double digits. My eating habits are getting more and more ridiculous... My dentist is going to say what in the world did you do to your teeth!! My response well I ate four or five candy bars a day for the last 4 months. I'm going to eat nothing but salads when I get home.
Date: 2013-08-03
From: stealth camp

To: east branch of pleasant river
Miles today: 22.5

Great day! I slept well last night am packed up early and ready to go this morning. As soon as I finished packing up it started to rain. Thankfully the rain only lasted for 30 minutes. I had a lot of great views today and crossed several cool rivers. The toughest part of the day was descending off of chairback mtn. I was descending a boulder field that was extremely steep and slippery. Thankfully I made it down safely. After that it was a cruise for the rest of the day. I forded the pleasant river and met the Maine ridge runner on the other side. I sat down and talked with him for a while. This part of the trail is extremely popular on the weekend so a lot of day hikers were out. The ford across the pleasant river is very wide and it has a very slippery bottom. All of the day hikers would take there shoes off and try to walk across. The ridge runner and I were laughing at them and we would bet on which one would fall over. Most of the day hikers were out to hike 3 miles to the gulf hagas waterfall. The trail was really easy for the next 5 miles as it approached gulf hagas mtn and white cap mtn. These two mountains were the last ones until katahdin. The climb up was not bad at all especially since the sun was out. I was extremely excited to get to the north side of white cap in hopes of seeing Katahdin.....I got to see katahdin today. There is no way to explain my excitement and how incredible it was! When I started this hike katahdin was the ultimate goal but it was so so far away that I didn't let myself think about it. The view I had was incredible it was just hard to believe that I still have 67 miles to it. When I was looking at it from white cap I felt like I could be there in a few hours. Katahdin is a cool mountain. It is surrounded by flat land and stands alone all by itself. I can't wait to climb it! After that it was down 2600 feet to the flat trail I will be walking on for the next 62 miles. I was treated to a few ponds and the east branch of the pleasant river was really pretty. I am stealth camped just past the river. After I setup camp I went back to the river to soak my ankles and knees. I also ate instant mash potatoes for the last time of my trip....THANK THE LORD! I hope to never eat those dang things again....unless I'm hiking. Oh and the trail had a switchback in it today...I haven't seen one of those in so long. It almost made me feel like I was cheating. Hard to believe I am on the approach to katahdin! You can probably hear me screaming!
Date: 2013-08-04
From: east branch of pleasant river

To: pemadumcook lake
Miles today: 19.8

It has been a fun day. The chipmunks woke up earlier than me and made so much noise. So I got moving soon after they woke me up. The trail today was incredibly flat and a lot of it was smooth. Easy walking! I have been running low on snacks and I was hoping for some trail magic all morning. I got it! I met two section hikers that had way to much food and they asked me if I wanted some of it to lighten their packs...I was more than willing to help out! After that the trail was smooth and fast all the way to Jo Mary road, where I ran into foxtrot and Delia. Foxtrot went off in the woods to tend to something's and he left his pack by us. We decided that foxtrot needed to carry a rock for a few miles so while he was away we slipped at least a 10lb rock in his pack. When he came back we were putting our packs on about to head out. So he joined us, he grabbed his pack and made the comment geez my pack feels like it is full of rocks. I had to walk off fast before I started laughing. He followed and kept complaining about how heavy his pack felt. I had to keep ahead of him so he couldn't hear me laughing. After a distance I told him he might want to tend to that rock that is in his pack. Soon after that I got to the antlers campsite where I thought about staying it is right on a pond and really nice but my hopes were to get a site on pemadumcook lake where I had a view of katahdin. Mission accomplished! I have a great site by the lake and as I am typing this I am looking at katahdin! So nice to be here and so relaxing!
Date: 2013-08-05
From: pemadumcook lake

To: Rainbow lake 
Miles today: 21.4

I hung out in my tent and relaxed for a while this morning before hiking out. It is my new favorite thing to do. Once I hit the trail planned to do close to 22 miles so I could get to abol bridge tomorrow early in the day. The trail had a ton of roots thy were tough to walk on. So I slowed down and just cruised all day through them. A lot of the trail today followed several different lake shores and streams. So I had a lot of great views, highlighted by the view off of mt nesuntabunt. I couldn't see katahdin due to the clouds but I was able to see several big lakes and the surrounding woods. I stopped and had lunch on the beach at lake nahmakanta. Then it was 5 miles along the rainbow stream that was incredible. And really made me think about how much I am going to miss the AT once I complete it. The stream had tons of waterfalls and I had the trail all to myself. So nice! About 5 miles from my campsite I saw a sign that said 12 miles to Abol Bridge...that is pretty much the entrance into Baxter state park. I was so excited to see that sign... Believe it or not I have been thinking and dreaming about these last few miles for a long time. It is a great feeling to be on the edge of accomplishing a life long dream! I am so glad that I am out here and that I have 26.3 miles to the summit of katahdin...call it a marathon. I am camped at the rainbow campsite with foxtrot, Delia, and others. We all hung out tonight relaxing and laughing...just enjoying the last few days! I am looking forward to getting some good food tomorrow, whatever it is I'm going to crush, the hardest part of the 100 mile wilderness has been rationing food through it. I also hear that there is a 14 scoop ice cream challenge in millinockette....I might have to visit them too! What's a thru hike without a food challenge anyway? At camp tonight I mentioned that I am going to be so sad when I have to shave my beard off...they asked me why do I have to shave it...I said well I have to get a job. Then Delia said a company that won't let you have your beard is no company for you! I agree! On the agenda for tomorrow...enter BAXTER STATE PARK! I am also about to flip to the last page of my guidebook!