morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-09-25
From: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-To

To: Piazza Rock Lean-To
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I had a nice morning hike into Rangeley, ME were we re-supplied and did laundry. After that we went to a bar and had a couple beers. Said good-bye to Flint and Mr. T who are going to skip a section, bounce up, and hike to Katahdin and then come back and do the section they skipped. We still may see them before it¢s over because they are planning to summit Katahdin around the same time we are but they want to take their time getting there. Nick decided he wanted to treat us to some beer tonight so he bought a case and he carried 17 cans and I carried 7 cans out of town and 1.8 miles to the first shelter. London, Scorch, Nick and I had a great time after hiking the 1.8 miles in the rain. We drank the case and sat around the shelter talking until late into the night.
Date: 2004-09-26
From: Piazza Rock Lean-To

To: Perham Stream
Miles today: 13.6

Got my first view of Katahdin today! After hiking up Saddleback Mt. to more spectacular views, we then had a short climb to the horn. We got to the top of the horn and met a trail maintainer who began pointing out some of the mountains in the area. He said it was as clear today as it gets and off in the distance he pointed out Katahdin. I was glad he was up there because I wouldn¢t have known it was there, I stood mesmerized, the moment seemed surreal. I couldn¢t believe I was actually looking at Katahdin, I asked him over and over again ¢that¢s Katahdin?¢ He assured me that it was.Camped out tonight, near Perham Stream with Nick, London and Scorch. We had a nice campfire and could hear moose calls as we sat there. Nick and I decided to walk down a logging road to see if we could find a moose. We saw some moose tracks, as we have for the past two days, but no moose. When we got back to the campsite London and Scorch, moments earlier, had seen a big bull moose come up the logging road look at them for a couple minutes, just a few yards away and then walk off into the woods. I was a little disappointed having missed it but I know I¢ll see one before I¢m finished. It is another wonderful day in Maine. Looking forward to tomorrow and all it will offer. Maine is beautiful and the fall colors make it spectacular
Date: 2004-09-27
From: Perham Stream

To: Stratton, ME
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: clear sky

We only hiked 8.5 miles today not 16.8. I have had a cold for the last two days and have been feeling drained. We got to a road and were offered a ride to Stratton by a day hiker. We figured we¢d come back tomorrow and hike the 8.3 miles over Crocker Mt. after talking about it we decided to skip it and push on from Stratton tomorrow. We are pressed for time because London needs to be in New York on Oct. 12 for his flight home. So I have now skipped a total of 40.3 miles. Had a gook hike today insofar as weather, although there weren¢t many views along the way. Re-supplied and got a burger in town before going to sleep early tonight, hope to feel better tomorrow. I am staying at White Wolf Inn with Nick, London, Scorch, and Gorbochev. We got a room for $30.00 for all five of us, a hiker rate.
Date: 2004-09-28
From: Stratton, ME

To: Old Man's Head
Miles today: 9.2

I Left town at around 11:00am, after stopping at the Post Office to mail home my journal and some film. I realized I have only two more town stops, Caratunk and Monson, before I reach Katahdin. Lately I¢ve been having some mixed emotions knowing this will all be over soon. Part of me is very excited about finishing this journey and yet there is a part of me that will be sad to see it over. Having spent six months out in the woods where my major concern is where¢s the next water source, I¢m not sure how I¢ll react to going home. At times the trail has felt like an endless journey and I couldn¢t wait to get home but now, being in Maine, I see it coming to an end and I realize all the things I will miss. The simple things like getting to a shelter after a days hike and talking with other hikers about a pleasant view or a tough section of trail or whatever. I will miss cooking on a fire a Lipton Noodle Meal or Ramen Noodles and drooling over thoughts of ¢Town Food¢, or waking up in the morning and hearing the usual question ¢Where are you headed today¢? It¢s an odd feeling, looking forward to going home and at the same time saddened by the thought that this way of life will all be over soon.
Date: 2004-09-29
From: Old Man's Head

To: West Carry Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up today and walked about 50 yards from where I was camped to watch the sunrise from a viewpoint called Old Man¢s Head. I hiked about a mile before saying goodbye to Nick, a section hiker, who has been hiking with Scorch, London and me for the last few days. He was taking a side trail to a road and heading home. He has been a lot of fun to have around and I¢m glad I got the chance meeting. The weather was great today after the usual cold start in the morning. The colors of fall in Maine continue to amaze me and it is becoming my favorite state on the entire trail. I was thinking today about all the times I wanted to quit this thru-hike and I am so thankful that I¢ve been able to keep at it. Hiking in Maine, coming from Georgia, makes it all worth it. So many great memories where going thru my head as I went along today, the people and the places, the pain and the rain, form the early spring snows to the beautiful fall colors. It has been incredible. It will be a very emotional day when I make that final ascent up to the top of ¢Big K¢ and see the final white blaze. In some ways, I¢m ready to go home but suddenly, I¢m not sure I want it to end.
Date: 2004-09-30
From: West Carry Pond Lean-to

To: Caratunk, Maine
Miles today: 14.0

Staying tonight at Trail Post Store at Rivers and Trails. Owned and operated by Steve Longley, one of the nicest people I¢ve met on the trail. Steve has been running the ferry that takes hikers across the Kennebec River for the last 15 years. The Kennebec is the most formidable un-bridged water crossing on the trail and the ¢Official¢ route across it is the ferry, actually a canoe. Re-supplied at Steve¢s store and then he drove Scorch, London and me to a restaurant for dinner. He came back an hour later to pick us up and we had planned on hiking a few more miles. It was almost 6:00pm at this point and Steve offered us the use of the bunkhouse for the night. He charges $10.00 a person but said we didn¢t have to pay if we couldn¢t afford it. When I went to pay he refused full price and gave it to us for half price. Again, one of the nicest people I¢ve had the pleasure to meet and he¢s been doing this for a long time. We had a nice campfire with a few other hikers tonight capping off another great day in Maine.
Date: 2004-10-01
From: Caratunk, Maine

To: Moxie Bald Lean-to
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: clear sky

Today is more of the wonderful weather in Maine. We¢ve had an incredible stretch of great days and I hope it continues. We made good time today with great views from Pleasant Pond Mountain and Moxie Bald Mountain. Tomorrow we have about 18 miles on easy terrain to get to Monson, Maine and our final town stop before Katahdin.Sitting around the fire tonight after dinner we could hear a loon in the pond in front of the shelter and a moose splashing around as well. Just what one would hope for in Maine! The fall colors keep me amazed all day, it¢s like walking thru a post card. I had lunch Sitting by Moxie Pond with the sun shining and the trees, in all their glorious colors, reflecting off the pond. Tonight, it¢s just me, Scorch and London at the shelter.
Date: 2004-10-02
From: Moxie Bald Lean-to

To: Maine 15, Monson, Maine
Miles today: 17.9

I am staying in Monson, Maine at the Pie Lady¢s. This is the last town stop before Katahdin. Tomorrow we head off into the hundred-mile wilderness; there won¢t be any road crossings for the next 100 miles. This means we have to pack out seven days of food making for heavy packs. As we packed up tonight we began to realize how much weight we¢ll be carrying, a dreadful thought. It has begun to rain tonight, after a gorgeous sunny day, coming into town but it should clear up by morning. I had a nice hike along the Piscataquis River today, woke up to a moose splashing around in the pond near the shelter, although I didn¢t see it I could hear it, it was still too dark out. I walked out to the pond to watch a descent sunrise and hoped to lay my eyes on a moose but none appeared. I have mentioned how beautiful Maine is this time of year, haven¢t I? A week from today I¢ll be at the base of Katahdin!
Date: 2004-10-03
From: Maine 15, Monson, Maine

To: Long Pond Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: clear sky

We got a ride from the Pie Lady back to the trail and we were off on our way into the Hundred-mile Wilderness. The day proved tougher than we thought it would be but I¢m sure the heavy backpack had a lot to do with it. The legs were feeling every up hill and much of the talk along the way was focused on how heavy our packs are. We were all beat by the time we reached the shelter. In fact, when we saw the shelter to the left of the trail London darted off into the woods making a beeline for the shelter, not bothering to wait for the side trail a few yards away. As he put it, nothing was going to stand in his way. If there were a moose there he would have bowled it over. It was an amusing ending to a tough day. Tonight at the shelter are Scorch, London, Blister Free, Eric and Jess.
Date: 2004-10-04
From: Long Pond Stream Lean-to

To: West Branch of Pleasant River
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: few clouds

It was a tough day over the Barren Mountain range. We had heard today would be the hardest of the hundred-mile wilderness. I sure hope so. With the pack still heavy and a steep, rocky climb to start the day it made for tough going. When my legs weren¢t burning from going up, my knees were aching from going down. Had some great views this morning from Barren Slides on the way up to Barren Mountain. The sun was out all day, warming it up after a cold, cold morning. Tonight I¢m camped out near Pleasant River with Scorch, London, Eric, and Jess. We had to ford across the river, something that is becoming a daily occurrence. In an effort to keep my shoes and socks dry I take them off and go barefoot. This makes for a dodgy walk as the rocks are very slippery and the water very cold. It¢s the first time on the trail that I wish I had a pair of flip-flops or something of the sort to change into. I never minded it in the past because my shoes were usually already wet so I¢d just walk right thru.
Date: 2004-10-05
From: West Branch of Pleasant River

To: East Branch Lean-to
Miles today: 16.3

It is a cold day today, the wind was blowing and I hiked with my jacket on all day. Made our last big climb before Katahdin today going over White Cap. Had great views of Katahdin lurking in the distance covered at the top with clouds. Today felt like the early days in Georgia and North Carolina with the cold wind blowing and there was even a little snow on the ground in the higher elevations. Got to the shelter and had a nice campfire. Scorch, London, Eric, Jess and three section hikers are here tonight. Tomorrow we are looking forward to easier terrain and hoping to push out twenty miles. We¢re thinking, if we can do the miles, of summiting on the 9th instead of the 10th, weather permitting of course. Getting excited about the finish.
Date: 2004-10-06
From: East Branch Lean-to

To: Nahmakanta Stream Campsite
Miles today: 23.8
Weather: few clouds

We caught up to Mr. T and Flint tonight. It¢s good to see them again. They left us a message in the register at the last shelter saying they¢d be camped here tonight so we pushed on, hiking the last 1.5 miles under headlamp. Also camped here are Eric and Jess, Traildawg and blister Free. This morning was cold, so cold that I woke up to a frozen water bottle. In the early spring I would put my water bottle in my sleeping bag at night so that this wouldn¢t happen. I didn¢t even give it a thought last night. The day warmed up quickly and turned out to be a nice day. The terrain was wonderful, after a short climb up Boardman Mountain it was probably one of the easiest days on the trail. Had a great view of Katahdin a few miles ago, it looked so close I couldn¢t believe it. I spent a good portion of the day hiking alone and thinking about all that I¢ve seen, done and been thru over the last 6 12 months. Also began thinking about how strange it will be to get back to a ¢normal¢ life. I suppose I won¢t know what this journey has done for me or how it has changed me until it¢s over and it will soon be over, Forty-four miles to go.
Date: 2004-10-07
From: Nahmakanta Stream Campsite

To: Rainbow Spring Campsite
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: scattered clouds

It is a gorgeous day today. Didn¢t get hiking until 10:00am but still managed a big mile day. Hiked with London all day, we decided to make a push to summit on the 9th and we figured we¢re this close, we don¢t want to regret not going for it. Tomorrow we¢ll have to hike 21.1 miles to our final campsite before summiting. Had a great view of Katahdin today from Nesuntabunt Mountain. It is incredible to see it knowing how close we are. If all goes well, tomorrow I will be sleeping at the base with 5/2 miles to go to summit.Tonight I¢m camped out with London, Mama¢s Boy, Traildawg, Eric and Jess. We had a nice campfire, something I will miss when this is over in a couple days. It¢s hard to imagine this way of life is about to end. Sitting around a campfire watching the flames (hikers T.V. as we call it) after spending the day walking thru the woods following the White Blazes Northbound, lying in my tent, as I am right now, listening to the Loons a few hundred feet away. It has become so much a part of my daily life.
Date: 2004-10-08
From: Rainbow Spring Campsite

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: broken clouds

We had a beautiful day to hike. Tonight I¢m at the base of Katahdin in Baxter State Park, 5.2 miles to go up to Baxter Peak and then a hike down and the journey is over. I hiked with London all day and we are the only ones here tonight. Rowboat is also camped somewhere in the park and will summit tomorrow as well. Got to Abol Bridge and the end of the hundred mile wilderness at around 1:00pm, had lunch with Traildawg and re-supplied at the camp store. Made our way, the ten miles we had to go after that and signed in at the ranger station at the park. We are both pretty much exhausted from the big miles we¢ve been doing and looking forward to completing the climb up Katahdin. I¢m excited to be here but, as usual, it felt like just another day on the A.T. By the time we had two miles to go all I was thinking about was getting to the shelter and eating dinner, as I said, just another day on the A.T. It¢s odd to think that this is my last night out here and by tomorrow at this time it will all be over. I¢m sure the climb up Katahdin will be tough but as we get closer and closer to the top our emotions and adrenaline will take over. There is a great feeling of accomplishment in the air, tomorrow we summit. For now I am tired and ready for bed.
Date: 2004-04-10
From: Springer Shelter

To: Hawk Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: broken clouds

Just got up after my first night on the trail after hiking the approach from Amicalola. I met up with 4 other thrus at the shelter, the twin brothers Solace and Kick the Rocks (KTR), John who was named Grits last night, and Denise. Then there was Nate, a day hiker who was just there for the night but intends to thru-hike in the future. There were others around but these are the people I hung out with at the shelter.Solace and KTR are from New Hampshire but have kind of lived all over the place. Solace does sports commentating, he definitely has the radio voice going on. KTR worked in the Adirondacs for 6 years. Grits is from Pittsburgh and was in college, but he just came from Miami where he'd been hanging out. Denise is from Raleigh, NC, and I don't know so much about her, but she had some cool stories about her trips in South America. Today, the plan was to do 7.6 miles to Hawk Mtn Shelter. The first 5 miles were pretty easy. My pack is a bit lighter because the guys helped me eat some of my fruits! I left Springer shelter around 9:45am and passed Grits on the way. I passed a few other hikers and talked to a guy called Matt who had just moved to Alanta from California. Once at the shelter, I met Patrick and Jordan, they were about to head out for Gooch. There was also some guy with his son who headed out later, but only after he talked extremely loudly on his cel phone for about 15 minutes. An older guy got in later, he was almost deaf but had a hearing aid. His pack looked extremely heavy, but I think he's pretty resilient. He said he was in Vietnam and Korea, apparently he's been in some pretty harsh conditions before. Then, a last thru-hiker joined us, his name is Jeff and he's from Cincinnati. Cool guy, like the rest of the crew.I look forward to the hike to Gooch tomorrow. My first day hiking is done!
Date: 2004-04-11
From: Hawk Mtn Shelter

To: Gooch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: light rain

I was the first up again this morning around 8:30am. I ate the rest of my fruits for breakfast and headed out at 9:45am. I thought I'd be good to go all the way with no stops so I packed no snacks. So I had to stop after about 4.5 miles and get my food bag at the bottom of the pack because I was in need of some energy! After some chocolate, 2 pop-tarts and some beef jerky, I felt much better and breezed through the rest of the way. I then met Mike, who's a ridge runner for the ATC and another hiker, we talked about soccer among other things. Then I waited for the other thrus to get here, expecting Grits to be the first one here.
Date: 2004-04-12
From: Gooch Gap Shelter

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: light rain

There were 13 of us in the shelter last night, and 3 or 4 others tented. A few more thru hikers joined us, Eric, Tyler, Night Rider, and another one who's name I didn't get. Then there was Lee and Bill, section hikers from Jersey. Large group, lots of fun.I headed out around 8:45am, second after Solace. I caught up with him 4 miles later or so, so we chatted for a bit at the road crossing and snapped a couple pics. It turns out we both slipped and fell in the exact same spot. The sad thing for me is that there was a mark where Solace slipped, and I still slipped there anyway. Moron... We moved on and I stopped about 4 miles later for lunch, and Solace caught up with me. We chatted some more and moved on again, I made it to Woods Hole Shelter around 2:30pm. The shelter was pretty small, and on top of that it had a bunch of leaks. Since we knew that about 10 more hikers were coming behind, 5 of us decided to push to Neels Gap to make room for them since it was early enough.To get to Neels Gap, we had to go over Blood Mountain, which I suspect was named like that because it's supposed to suck the blood out of you with the steep ups and downs. But it didn't kick my ass, it was the other way around. I made Blood Mountain my bitch and made it to Neels Gap in 1 hour and 20 minutes. It must have helped that they've re-routed the trail, apparently it was worse before. I was just cruising, motivated solely by the desire for some ice cream! I got to Neels Gap and found out that they were out of ice cream, but at least they were shuttling people to Blairsville for an AYCE.I ate like an animal and on the way back I picked up a newspaper for Solace so he could see the sports section, which he'd wanted to do for a while. After jumping up and down and hugging me 3 times, he regained his composure and was able to get to reading it!I met some more people in Neels Gap, Waker from NY and Amy from CT. Seems Amy's hiking partner just had some major problems, she had to help him off the trail and they found out he had a kidney stone. Thankfully he's OK. Patrick's also here too, he's from Michigan and is only hiking a section. We all stayed at the Neels Gap hostel tonight, so we got to hang out some more, take showers, and sleep on a decent mattress.Today, I got my trail name. I will now be known as Rocket because people think I move rather fast on the trail.
Date: 2004-04-13
From: Neels Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: light rain

Solace managed to get me a cold beer last night. Him and Grits met somebody at Neels Gap who hooked them up with beer among other things. After the beer, I finally got some sleep. It feels good to finally sleep well!I did some laundry in the morning, so I'm now clean and so are my clothes! Solace ande KTR are taking a 0 day at Neels to heal their injuries, so it'll be the first night without them around. I guess we'll meet up again later. After all, they're founding members of the "Peanut Gallery".I headed out late today, around 12:30pm, and the hike was tough because my right achilles started bothering me midway. Imade it around 5:15pm. It's gonna be a cold night an it shows, the temperature is dropping. I quickly made some mac & cheese and got in my sleeping bag. There are 8 of us in the shelter, including Slow Train, Amy, Indy, Patrick, Twinkle Toes, and Buckwild. Grits also made it, but he'll have to tent. Then Tyler and Erin made it but decided to move on.It may hail or snow tonight and temperatures are supposed to be in the 20s. My bag can handle it. Tomorrow, I'll see how much I feel I can hike, depending on my achilles.
Date: 2004-04-14
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Blue Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, what do you know, winter isn't done yet! We got some serious snow throughout last night, a good 3-4 inches. Some got on our sleeping bags and there was a good inch left on the shelter floor. The temperature dropped in the 20s. I was freezing after getting out of my bag and with my feet feeling so cold plus my aching achilles, I decided to take a rest. But I managed to warm up my feet later on by putting on 3 pairs of socks, so I decided to try to hike.It was probably the easiest hike so far as far as terrain goes except for the unfortunate fact that I was kind of hiking on one leg. My achilles is not feeling good, I think I'll take a zero tomorrow. At least the hike was beautiful, everything was all white. I got to the shelter and found Buckwild and Amy, and Patrick was heading out to get a ride into town. There were a few other people there, and Eric and a couple others made it later on. So 8 of us squeezed in at the shelter.I'm hoping that if I take a zero KTR, Solace, and the others will catch up, although I'm not sure they'll stop at this shelter. It would be cool to go into town with them.
Date: 2004-04-15
From: Blue Mtn Shelter

To: Blue Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I'm taking a zero day to rest my achilles. I'll never push as hard as I did from Woods Hole to Neels again. I suspect my boots aren't helping either, I may get some sneakers in Hiawassee and try to hike in those. If it works, I'll ditch the boots and send them home.KTR and Solace passed by, as did Cupcake Jeff. I have a feeling our original group will get re-united in Hiawassee as many people are going to take a zero there. If I manage to walk at a decent pace tomorrow, I may make enough miles to at least reach Hiawassee on Saturday. I'll try to leave early and hopefully I can do a lot of miles going slowly.Almost a week on the trail and I'm still pumped up. The adventure goes on.