morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-09-26
From: Long Pond Stream Leanto

To: Chairback Gap Leanto
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: few clouds

So long Peach. My body is demanding that I slow down, and frankly I want to make good on my promise to Loose Bruce that we will summit together, and second, I am already starting to miss the trail, so I do not want to rush. Peach wants to stay on a schedule for October 3 to beat the bad weather. I share her concern about the bad weather, but since I heard the weather will be good until October 7, I have no problem slowing down. So when I told Peach of my need to slow down, we basically figured we would split up. In her typical considerate fashion, she quizzed me on how I would deal with my physical and equipment problems before she was comfortable moving on (I felt that reduced miles for a while was all I needed to recover, I have patches for my water bladder, and can fashion a tent stake when needed). I will miss Peach ¢ we¢ve been hiking as part of a group since we entered New York. She is probably one of the smartest people I¢ve ever met ¢ book smart but plenty of common sense for dealing with a lot of hiking situations as well. And a way with people that is very endearing. No wonder she is one of the most popular hikers on the trail. (PS she has a Pharmacy degree, as do Rex and Loose Bruce ¢ in her case a doctorate. And my father is a retired Pharmacy School professor ¢ small world!)   Before we split up we did run into Gnarly, who had camped at the top of Barren Mountain, and he raved about the sunrise. He also told us some more of his dreams. I think he should write a book about them because they are hilariously creative and disjointed.   Late in the day I caught up to Pearls and Starvin Marvin, who I am really enjoying being with. They hike at a pace that I would like to hold myself to help my legs recover ¢ a conversational pace, I like to call it, since we did and do indeed talk most of the time. We had an extended conversation about how they were able to retire early, and their odd flip flop, starting VA-->GA and then turning around and doing VA--->ME. The 3 of us camped in the shelter, with a SOBO section hiker named Donald. He advised me to nudge him if he started snoring. Instead, much of the night he nudged me. I woke up feeling very congested, so I knew it must have been pretty bad. I only heard him snoring once, and it wasn¢t keeping me awake, so he never got the nudge. Sorry, Don¢¦..   Fortunately he was very friendly the next morning and we both lost some hiking time just talking about hiking, and our careers as engineers until we finally went our separate ways.    I did have phone reception at the shelter, so I got a message from Loose Bruce indicating he is still 2 days behind me. He indicated he would try to dash to catch up. I developed a strategy to really take it easy for a few days too.
Date: 2007-09-28
From: Carl Newhall Leanto

To: East Branch Leanto
Miles today: 10.8

It was a lonely, gloomy morning. After realizing last night that I was old enough to be everyone else¢s father, this morning proved it ¢ all these 20-somethings flew by me as I trudged up the first hill. In fact, Pippy (a young lady) actually apologized for passing me. I am long past being embarrassed about being passed, in fact I found it odd at first that she said it, but I certainly think it speaks well of her to be concerned about my feelings.    There is a saying that The Greater the Challenges, the Greater the Rewards. Today I changed that - the greater the challenge, the greater the opportunity for reward. A long steep climb up to the Whitecap Mountain Range, and subsequent shorter climbs to the individual peaks resulted in great views of¢¦¢¦ fog. I was in a ¢disgusted¢ mood. Disgusted by the lack of views, disgusted by the way I tripped frequently, disgusted by how cold my hands got, disgusted by how often I thought I¢d reached the top of a peak only to discover there was a right or left turn taking me further uphill. Late in the day, Ox and Hold-on caught up to me. I hadn¢t seen Ox in a long time, and was glad to see him again. Hold-on used to hike with him, I was glad to see them reunited since a Pennsylvania shelter register entry by Ox indicated he missed his original hiking buddies, a feeling I could understand. We leapfrogged each other until camp. Fidel and Redblaze were already there. What ensued was one of the best camping nights I¢ve had in a long time. Hold-on made a huge fire, and after dinner we all sat around said fire just making all kinds of jokes and conversation. Ox brought out some Canadian Mist, which made me reminiscent of one of the first nights on the trail when Slocum and I jokingly used Canadian Mist to ¢sterilize¢ a spoon that we shared when he had lost his. What a great night ¢ indicating my decision to slow down was a good one. Another indicator was that, as I reflected on the difficult terrain I realized that my ankle and knee did not flare up at all.   I also realized that the AT CONTINUES to present new challenges. Today¢s new challenge was that the leaves are getting thick enough to hide the roots and wet rocks, and are wet themselves, hence the frequent slips and falls.      And yet the miles went so quickly that it reinforced a theory I have ¢ that miles are shorter in Maine. This is reinforced if you look at a globe. Notice how the longitude lines are getting closer together as you go northward.   Ah, the insights you discover on the trail!
Date: 2007-09-29
From: East Branch Leanto

To: White House Landing
Miles today: 21.9

Today was the opposite of yesterday ¢ gorgeous hiking weather ¢ cool and sunny. And there was so much water available on the trail I didn¢t need to carry much ¢ I only used the 34 liter bottle that is normally my reserve tank. I woke up not sure how far to go.   I had lunch at Cooper Brook Falls Leanto, where Peach had signed in for lunch the previous day. In 3 days she got a day ahead of me! What a machine! Or maybe not, as I was to later discover. Then I ran into a local day hiker (a 1998 thru hiker) who told me the weather forecast had changed and the rainy cool weather might arrive as soon as 10/5. This is when I expected to summit with Loose Bruce and Radar. I decided to accelerate my schedule so I could arrive in time to summit on 10/3. If the weather forecast changed again, I could wait for them there. The 10/3 target meant I needed to do a 23 mile day. I felt great, and the topo map indicated very flat terrain, so I decided to give it a try. The day was great hiking, because of the weather and flat terrain, but also gorgeous views.   One in particular, at Pemadumcook Lake, featured an incredible view of Katahdin (see photo). This was perhaps my 3rd most exciting point of the trip, behind the approach to Harpers Ferry and the approach to Mt. Washington ¢ my heart was pounding as I saw the ¢holy grail¢ of the trip. Majestic, with a clear blue sky behind it, dressed in fall foliage colors below the tree line and fluffy clouds above it. While using my phone to take pictures, it rang in with messages that also affected my plans for finishing (oh, look¢¦. Cell phone reception in the middle of the wilderness ¢ isn¢t that great LOL?). Bruce called, he was actually losing ground, not gaining ground, on me, likely to summit on the 6th, not the 5th. Second, I also had a message from 3% Don trying to confirm plans. I ended up deciding then and there that between the weather and the possibility of sitting around for 3 days that I would simply summit on the 3rd. Not a happy moment, but a practical and perhaps inevitable decision. I am excited, though, that Don will be part of the summiting day.      I headed to spend the night at a hostel, White House Landing. While hiking in, Hold-on was leaving after eating dinner there. He mentioned that Peach was there spending the night (along with Starvin Marvin and Pearls). A reunion of sorts, but I wondered if she was ok. Apparently she was. At first I was rather excited. My recent decision to summit on the 3rd had left me in the position that I was not going to summit with any people with whom I had really hiked, and now it appeared that I would after all. When I voiced that thought, she had a rather negative reaction to it which I found disturbing and decided to simply continue hiking my own hike rather than align my hike with hers in any significant way, even though our planned itineraries matched on a daily basis. Frankly, that is always the best plan anyway, and over the next few days it worked very well for me indeed.
Date: 2007-09-30
From: White House Landing

To: Rainbow Stream Leanto
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: few clouds

We were sent off with an awesome breakfast, plus got leftover pancakes and all the cherry tomatoes I could fit in my pack on the way out. And a slightly stale homemade moon pie. Because they had an emergency call for the motorboat that was to take us back to the trail, they asked if we would mind canoeing ourselves. Of course! How cool?! They would fetch the canoes back later in the day. So we did some aquablazing. The 4 of us hiked together for a while, but I decided to stay behind and take a break at Lake Nahmakanta. Here I realized that I am going to miss the trail badly when I am done. There is a feeling being amid all this majesty and beauty and nature, the same primal feeling I sensed was drawing me in at the beginning of the trip. I have not tired of it, in fact I have become more attached to it. I had a very difficult time walking away from the place where I took the break. This action of just sitting down alone, be it at a pond, an overlook, or the middle of the woods, became a pattern repeated throughout the rest of the trip. I just wanted to see, hear, and smell the woods while I could. I had been warned that this would happen, and that you SHOULD stretch the last week out (resist the temptation to rush just because you are almost done). No need to twist MY arm!I eventually caught up to the others, only to fall behind at an overlook into Pollywog Gorge. It was more impressive than the overhyped Grand Canyon of the East, Gulf Hagas. The view was at the edge of a cliff at the top of the gorge. The cliff edge area was not level, it was angled slightly toward the cliff edge. Also it was covered with loose gravel. I held on to or leaned on a tree the entire time I looked. There was enough pucker factor that it convinced me that Knife Edge might not be the best way off of Baxter Peak.One somber moment in the day ¢ Starvin Marvin and I talked about 4 yellow bracelets he wears. It turns out they are all for people he knows who have cancer. It reminded me of a thru hiker I met during trail magic with Kristin¢s family on the Shenandoah, Longhunter, who was coming off trail there to get a chemo pump surgically implanted in his body, and then he was going to flip flop. I have not seen him on the trail since.Later in the day I caught up again, and we ran into Serial. I remembered that he had organized a group of 30 people to summit on October 1, and here he was, 3 days away. Oh, but I forgot he was in his 20s. He needed to do a 42 mile day today, including a few shortcuts, to make it in time. Then I realized he could do it, and debated joining him¢¦..NOT! At 5 pm, he still had 20 miles or so to go. Can you say ¢night hike¢? After he left, we were starting to get chilled, so I took off for camp as fast as I could. In camp, Peach and I shared the shelter while Starvin Marvin and Pearls pitched a tent.
Date: 2007-10-01
From: Rainbow Stream Leanto

To: Abol Bridge, ME
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We completed the 100 mile wilderness. The hike was fairly routine, except that we met Don on the trail. It is good to have him back aboard. As usual, he was a consummate host as well as a fellow hiker, bringing so much stuff that we really didn¢t need to cook our own food. Especially when his provisions were so good. He also provided beverages for all tastes. Including, incredibly, a wine called Maryland Edge Merlot. The label was a bit suspicious, since the map of Maryland seemed to have been taped on.    We also met Fuzzy Monkey¢s parents ¢ Dave and Maryanne Gates. They stopped by to see if we knew whether he was still on schedule to arrive at Abol Bridge tomorrow. They recognized Peach and me from his blog photos and we told them we figured he was a day behind, probably with Sweetwater and a friend of his. We had a lot of fun visiting with them. At one point I posed the brain teaser to them that I posed to journal readers early ¢ what movie is ¢The morning was moist¢ from? (Since their son was the one who said it to me) I had to give them 3 clues. First, the quote was written, not verbal. Second, Billy Crystal¢s character wrote the words, and third, Danny Devito¢s mother in the movie called him ¢Nor-maaaannnnn¢ in a way that I cannot describe in writing. So, the challenge is still out there for anyone to try their hand at. (Note: Sorry, the contest is over. My Uncle Joe and Gene Taylor got it on October 21)      I found out that Serial did indeed summit today, and that Tuna Bag, Gnarly, and Yogi are summiting tomorrow. And, with thinking that Fuzzy Monkey and Sweetwater are probably summiting the day AFTER us, it makes me realize how impossible it would be to summit with all the people I would like to have summated with. That is probably why, for example, Serial arranged for a group of 30 people to summit. I also heard from Loose Bruce that he is hiking with a group of 24 people ¢ sounds pretty neat, though awfully crowded. I¢m a bit jealous.
Date: 2007-10-02
From: Abol Bridge, ME

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Don continued his hospitality, serving scrambled eggs for breakfast. Does it never end? I hope so. Never ending, that is.Wildlife sighting of the day: A bald eagle. We were hiking as a group of 5 along a river, I was last. The eagle flew out of a tree near us as we walked by and flew over the river. It was so silent that I only noticed it because I was looking out towards the river.Happy moment of the day: When we got to the campsite, I was able to congratulate Yogi, Tuna Bag, Pippy and Pittsburgh for summiting, since they came back to the camp after summiting. Almost felt like I¢d been there with them. Gnarly hiked the Knife Edge down from Katahdin, so did not return to camp. Actually I hope to see him in Gettysburg this Saturday, so that's ok.2nd Happy moment of the day: When we got to the campground, the rangers gave us applications to join the 2000 miler club! I am the 344th NOBO to summit Katahdin this year. Interesting because I was in 528th ¢place¢ in Harpers Ferry. I either passed a lot of people or they went home. I don¢t think I passed that many. While there I did a shout out to every hiker I could think of still on the trail. That made me feel better. I also made a note in the register of my mixed feeling. It is not an unmitigated joy to be at the end of this journey. I must weigh the joy and pride of completion versus knowing how much I will miss the woods. I must weigh rejoining my family and friends against the camaraderie of the trail.Incredibly, the good weather has lasted the whole trip. I believe 2007 may go down as the best weather for thru hiking in the history of the trail. Dry and temperate. Those who started in March or early April may disagree, but certainly since April 17 it has been nearly idyllic. Spiritual thought for the day: My good fortune (weather, health, hiking partners, having the opportunity) helps me understand the human tendency toward religion. I feel trememdous gratitude for how well this trip has gone, and feel like I should be thanking someone or some being for this gift. Something to ponder.
Date: 2007-10-03
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: End of trail - Baxter Peak of Mount Katahdin!
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: overcast clouds

It's over! After six months and 140 million inches of hiking, I reached the end of the trail at the summit of Mount Katahdin today. I am now in a town at the base of the mountain and will be wending my way back home to Baltimore by auto, plane, or train, but not by hitch-hiking! More details will be forthcoming.Thanks to my father for putting the above text in. He expressed a few quick thoughts that I gave him over the phone very well. But the day was much more than that ¢ I just gave him enough to let everyone to know I was done. Incredibly, the day was not a joyous event for me. I was happy and proud, but not heartpoundingly excited. I was surprised to discover this. I guess for me, the journey is what mattered, not the destination. There were heartpounding joyous moments on the trail, but the summit was anticlimactic ¢ little more than a sawhorse on a cold, windy, foggy mountain. Not that the day was without great moments. Pittsburgh had commented yesterday that this was one of the most fun hikes of the trip. Others had referred to it as a final exam, because every challenge you faced on the trail existed on this last 5 mile stretch up the mountain. Pittsburgh was right, and I really enjoyed the hike, both up and down. Down was better than up, only because the fog lifted and we could see the beauty that had been surrounding us. I especially enjoyed the views of the tableland, and Owl¢s Head, a nearby mountain. One highlight of my day was a surprise reunion near the summit. Don had told me that 2 ladies were ahead of us. We eventually caught up, and one of them said, ¢Are you who I think you are?¢. I replied, ¢Only if you are who I think YOU are!¢ It was Bunkers, a hiker I had spent about a week hiking with in Virginia, and we had stayed in touch by phone and through our journals to see if we could hook back up. Regrettably, apparently she got close several times but because she had a number of side trips during her hike, she never quite made it. Still, it was great to run into her, especially at such an auspicious occasion. Another good moment was when I fulfilled another hikers fantasy ¢ Wolf Taffy told me he had invented a sandwich, and he thought it would be great to see another hiker eating it at the summit. It sounded so delicious and so celebratory that I decided to try it. Take a hot dog roll, and spread peanut butter inside it instead of mustard. Then insert a Snickers bar in place of a hot dog. It was perfect! Except that it made a lump in my stomach all the way down the mountain. Finally, when we got back into camp we found Sweetwater and Fuzzy Monkey. We enjoyed some beverages for a while, and then the Gates¢s served a spaghetti dinner. A great finish to a great day. And a great trip!
Date: 2007-12-29
To: Thanks
Miles today: 0.0

One of the many feelings that still remains from this trip is gratitude. There is little doubt in my mind that this trip would not have happened without a lot of tangible support and morale support. I would like to acknowledge some of the contributors to my success.There are 2 individuals in particular without whom the trip would not have happened.   My neighbor Glo took care of my house while I was gone, while my sister Melanie provided all my mail drops. I was the envy of many fellow hikers for having such reliable and conscientious support. But doing the job wasn't enough, it seems. They both went above and beyond the call of duty almost as a matter of routine, doing many little extras such as little notes with the packages, responding to emergencies with very short notice, sorting mail, sending an extra pair of gloves when I asked for my winter gear, adding treats in the packages, arranging substitutes when they went on vacation, and would you believe someone cleaned the mildew off my toilets just before I got home? After all, I wouldn¢t want to have to put up with anything gross upon my return to civilization   Many others helped me in smaller but important ways. In particular, ¢¢        Socrosse, my mentor before the hike and most regular phone contact during the hike¢¢        People who came out to visit me on the trail ¢ My parents; sisters Melanie and Kristin and their families; Mary, Walt & Kazuko Matthews; Dave Deli; Ric Row & family, Kristin's friends Donna and Rennie¢¢        Neighbors who offered help, but as it turned out I was covered ¢ Barry and Mike¢¢        Friends & family who provided me rides for various parts of the trip ¢ Cousin Mark & his family, Glenn and Jason Everhart, Kristin, Glo, Don Burrell¢¢        Complete strangers who provided me rides into & out of towns¢¢        My father for acting as scribe for my trail journal¢¢        Ashish and David for a care package at Delaware Water Gap¢¢        The folks who stayed in touch with me on the trail via phone, email and trail journal guest register ¢ family, friends, neighbors, former co-workers, trail journal readers, day- & section-hiking acquaintances, and fellow thru hikers¢¢      The Trailjournals web site maintainers, particularly Leif, who helped me with a number of problems before and during the hike.¢¢        Trail volunteers, especially those I met - Tater, Wes, Juniper, Maine crew. Also I recognize the infrastructure behind them, which maintains an organization, guarantees rights of way for the trail, raises funds, etc. ¢¢        Trail magicians¢¢        Don Burrell, a day hiker who became a section hiker with us and bestowed far too much hospitality on us, but I loved every bit of it.¢¢        And, last but not least that very special group, Peach¢s Posse, my partners in crime.One of the things I will never forget about this trip is how many people cared enough to take part and help me out. Thanks so much!
Date: 2007-02-27
To: Trail Journal begins
Miles today: 0.0

Well, What do you know. I think I am figuring out how to begin a trail journal online. Pretty good for such a non-techie person as myself. I am a retired pastor who has hiked and camped all of my life in one form or another. I began camping with my family when I was very small. We camped because tht was the cheap way to get from one place to another. In the 1940s and 1950s I thought that only rich people stayed in motels for we surely never did. We camped. When I was old enough I became a Girl Scout in Colorado and shortly thereafter discovered summer camp at Flying G Girl Scout Camp. And my hiking life began in earnest. I literally lived all year with only the goal of getting to Scout Camp, saving every weekly allowance in its entirety so that I could go to camp and hike. Over the years there have been many hikes in many places and also quite a number of short backpacks.But my first long distance hike was the Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier with my daughter, and friend, Jo. I had wanted to do the hike for quite a while and decided that I had better hurry up and go before I would be too old to hike. I celebrated my 50th birthday on the trail from Granite Creek to Sunrise. And when Sara and I completed the trail we had this disappointed feeling that it was done. It was such a lovely rhythm to get up, break camp, hike and see beautiful country, find our camp spot and set up camp and sleep and then begin all over again in the morning. When we returned home we missed it. The long distance hike bug had bit.So, over the next few years, vacations generally included some backpacking on the AT and the PCT. (Although I had to take a year off from the AT last year to be Grandma to Sara and Andrew's son William.) A week hiking each in 2004 and 2005 brings me up to the foot of the Smokeys and ready for a 400 mile hike to Bland VA. I will be starting on April 10.I will also be doing a 400 mile hike on the PCT this year - doing the Sierras before I get too old. I have completed most of the PCT in Washington over the last 4 years, celebrating my retirement last August by doing a 200 mile hike from Steven's Pass to Canada.Now I have done a new thing. I have written my first journal entry. I look forward to many more to come.