morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-06-30
From: Stealth Campsite at Mile 1934

To: Stealth Campsite at Mile 1956.6
Miles today: 22.6

Today was tough. I walked over Wyman, Old Blue, and Bemis Mountains. I got eaten by mosquitos despite efforts to repel them. They smacked on me like I snack on snacks! The eat like I eat! I passed Surplus Pond in the morning and realized that one of my favorite things about the ponds and bogs is the presence of bull frogs. They make a distinctive sound. I saw a few at this pond and took some video here (also uploaded to my videos) if you want to hear this and see a few of them: https://youtu.be/QBhDHB7v9QE. I got some great views today. The weather was hot and muggy. My feet stayed wet thanks to the wet trail and bogs. The forest was green and lush though. I met Ultra Runner at the Bemis Mountain Lean To (what they call shelters in Maine). I have been hearing about this NOBO from others. She is using the AT hike also as training for races. She gets off the trail sometimes to go run ultra marathons (think 100 mile races) and the. Comes back and keeps hiking. Just amazing!I pushed on down the mountain to the first stream fording in Maine, Bemis stream. Right before the road crossing prior to the stream, I came upon a trail magic cooker! It was just what I needed to brighten a tough day of rugged hiking. There were waters and candy bars. It was lovely! As for the stream, Maine has a lot of streams you have to Ford and cannot rock hop across. Brilliant Hungry Cat mailed home his crocs, so I just had to walk through it in my shoes. I was able to partially rock hop it. My feet were both pretty wet anyway. I stealth camped north of the stream. I was grateful to have made my mileage today and gotten some nice views. I saw another grouse with chicks today and was grateful for that. I was grateful that cold soaking my rice side worked. I got eaten alive by mosquitos today, so I¢m grateful my tent does not have holes in it! Tomorrow I hike into Rangeley! Maine¢s ruggedness is really shaking me down and making me prove I am worthy of the thru hiker label. Go easy Maine, go a little easy....
Date: 2018-07-03
From: ME Route 4 (Rangeley road crossing)

To: Spaulding Mountain Lean-to
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: overcast clouds

The rest in Rangeley served me well. I got on the trail later than usual, but I felt good. It was going to be another scorcher today too - 90s. It¢s funny how the most extreme weather seems to be following us this year. I never thought I¢d get to Maine and find a Georgia summer waiting! Fortunately for me, I¢m used to the heat; others are not so lucky.Today as I set out hiking it felt different. I finally had some kind of schedule to make, a plan to keep. In some ways, it gave me some purpose. Either way, I still had stretch of time to think about it all. The hiking today was challenging, but not ridiculously so. It was more classic southern Maine, with steep uphills straight up mountains, slippery steep downhills straight back down, and a little hand-over-hand action in both directions. Ok, it was strenuous hiking.... I climbed up Saddleback Mountain and the weather was looking iffy. Fog and/or clouds blew by and it was a bit windy. I always get a little nervous climbing balds where the area above treeline is extensive. I picture myself getting caught in a bad lightening storm, looking like human kindling for the whims of Thor. I pushed on, noting the beauty of the clouds as they alternately shrouded and revealed the stark fierceness of the mountain. Intermittent rays of sun highlighted the lush green of the fragile alpine flora. Pink and white alpine flowers were still in bloom. I climbed on over the Horn. Saddleback is exactly what it sounds like. Along with the Horn, it looks like a giant saddle. I had wonderful views from the Horn as the clouds became sparser and the wind blew them along. I felt small and insignificant up there, and rightfully so. I need these reminders lest I spend too much time in my head thinking about me, while the rest of the Earth simply revolves around the sun.The descent down Saddleback was slow going, with one section having a bit of rope and rebar to hold onto. At the bottom was the Orbeton stream, which needed to be forded. I wouldn¢t be able to rock hop this one. Fortunately I had just acquired some professional fording shoes (aka my $2 flip flops). I enjoyed fording the river; it felt good on my feet on such a hot day. When I got to the lean-to I felt like I had walked a longer day than I had. I set up my tent and chatted with a few SOBOs. It¢s so interesting to see people just getting started with their thru hikes! I like talking with them and hearing about their experiences. I bite my tongue and don¢t offer advice - if they want it they will ask. They don¢t need to worry about Mahoosic or the Whites right now. One day at a time, one step at a time, and they will have their trail experiences and become stronger, smarter, more efficient. Right now they just need to keep having fun.I was grateful for feeling well rested and that the weather held out today. I enjoyed the wonderful views on Saddleback and the challenge of the climbing. Tomorrow I will work my way closer to the Bigelow range.
Date: 2018-07-05
From: Horns Pond Lean-to

To: Pierce Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 27.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I knew today was going to be a big day, so I got on the trail just before six. I normally wouldn¢t plan on walking this many miles with a big mountain range in the plan, but my wife actually used a trail journal from a prior year we had both read to get some further input on the terrain. It seemed that the hiking would get much easier after Little Bigelow Lean-to and West Pond Carry Lean-to, and so I decided to go for it. The Bigelows and Avery Peak were amazing! I was up on top while the morning was still early. I stopped to chat with a few locals and learned that the large lake in the valley below was Flagstaff Lake. They told me it is the second largest man-made lake in Maine depending on the water level, and it has flooded housing foundations on its bottom from when the river was dammed to form the lake that exists today. The views from the Bigelows and nearby Avery Peak were just stunning! I loved it up there and spent a while just looking around. They say you can sometimes see a faint outline of Katahdin from Avery Peak, but I could not today.Climbing down I startled another grouse, which in turn startled me! It flew out of the bushes and grazed my shoulders as it flew to the other side of the trail. I jumped and let out a weird yell! I could hear it¢s chicks crying on my left, no doubt thinking that mom was back with food.I took a quick break on Little Bigelow to eat a snack and have some water. I was standing there with my bug net on when another northbounder came up behind me. His name was Homebound, from New Hampshire, and he said that he had read my journal before he started his hike in mid March. How cool! He was super fast, so he quickly hiked off into the distance in front of me. I¢m always surprised when I meet people who have read my journal. It¢s a good feeling though! I kept plodding along, going slowly down the mountain. The terrain eventually evened out and I was able to walk at a good pace. I passed West Carry Pond and then East Carry Pond, where I saw Homebound again, camped near a nice sandy beach. I made it to the lean-to just as the sun was getting lower in the sky, around 7:30. I got an awesome tent site right below the lean-to on the banks of Pierce Pond and caught a beautiful sunset there while I cooked my dinner. It was breathtaking!I was grateful for the wonderful views of the Bigelows today, the good terrain later in the day and the beautiful ponds I passed along the way. I was tired, but I felt good! It would be easy to fall asleep tonight!
Date: 2018-07-09
From: Long Pond Stream Lean-to

To: Carl A. Newhall Shelter
Miles today: 20.8

I woke up early, like most mornings. It is getting light at 4am because I am so far east, so I¢ve been waking up around 4:30 when the birds are singing and the red squirrels begin to chirp angrily around me. This morning was no different - I got up early, ate my pop tart and honeybun breakfast, and hiked north. Today I climbed a few small mountains. Barren Mountain was the tallest at 2660 feet. I usually don¢t start thinking about hills as mountains unless they are 3k feet at this point, but I got great views from the ledges at Barren. I went over a few other smaller mountains and then Chairback mountain, which had a little bit more technical hiking to it, but nothing too crazy. I took a side trail east to check out West Chairback Pond. It was a classic, beautiful Maine Pond, so I took a picture of it. After filtering water from a pretty little stream that crossed the trail, I hiked downhill across a gravel road to the West Branch of the Pleasant River. The river was somewhat wide and shallow; I would have to ford this one. A big group of girls was coming through the river southbound, and they stopped to talk with a ridge runner named Gin Gin who was standing there. A few flip floppers hiking south were there too, and then a couple with their two young children showed up - they had walked from a nearby parking lot to do s day hike to this area called Gulf Hagas. Hundred Mile Wilderness???? I had expected it to be wild, remote, rugged, and sparsely populated, mostly with thru hikers. Instead, it was more like the Hundred Miles of Summer Camp! I suppose the point is that there aren¢t great road crossings to hitch into town to resupply, but I did cross so many roads and see so many people that it didn¢t feel like I was that far away from civilization. I talked with Gin Gin briefly and then forded the stream in my $2 flip flops. I hiked on up the AT until I got to the Gulf Hagas trail and then walked a short distance on that trail to check out Screw Auger Falls. It was a gorgeous waterfall with a swimming hole below it. I thought about swimming, namely because I wanted to clean the salt out of my clothes, but there were some day hiker families already swimming there and I didn¢t feel like making a crowd, so I turned back and headed north again following the white blazes.I was the first to arrive at the lean-to even though it was about 5pm. I picked a tent spot, signed the log book, and cooked my dinner. As I was finishing eating, a female hiker came in. She was hiking southbound, a flip flopper who had hiked north to Marion, VA and was now headed south. Her trail name was Danish because she was from Denmark. She asked me about the Whites and mileage, the huts, etc. I retired to my tent to try and journal a little before falling asleep. I haven¢t had a signal in a long time, and unsure of the weather, I put up my rain fly. I prefer to sleep without it, but it¢s also not fun having to get up in a storm to try and throw it on! I was grateful for the views and hiking today, and for the continued kindness of the weather. I hope that holds!
Date: 2018-07-13
From: The Birches Campsite

To: Baxter Peak, Mt. Katahdin - AT Northern Terminus
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: scattered clouds

It was chilly when I woke at around 4:45am. I got up and ate my lemon pie and cinnamon roll. I know, I know.... I packed up camp and got ready to make the last push, the last summit. Ozzie was already gone. Homebound left a little before me, and Frank was still in his tent when I left. I headed to the Ranger station to return the day pack I would not need and to sign the log book, which I had forgotten to do the day before. I stopped at the sign indicating the direction of the AT to Baxter Peak, the top of Mt. Katahdin and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. I took a breath. This was it. Now it was time to bring it home. The portion of the AT that goes up to Baxter Peak is called the Hunt Trail within the park. It started off quite easy and increased in difficulty until I was bouldering my way along steep slopes and over large rocks, sometimes with a few pieces of rebar in them to use as handholds, or footholds. It was the kind of thing that is outside of my comfort zone, but that other climbs (Palmerton, the Whites, Mahoosic) has prepared me for. The weather was beautiful and there was virtually no wind, which was comforting once I was above treeline. I moved slowly and deliberately, finally climbing, hoisting and shimmying my way up to the Tableland, a plateau just before the final ascent to Baxter Peak. From there it was easy. The views were stunning! The climb leading up to the Tableland and then the views from the plateau were truly breathtaking. This was it - the last mountain to climb! I had one more push to make.As I walked across the Tableland, I felt relieved to have made it with my pack. It was as light as it could be at this moment in my life, at this point in time, and I carried it over the mountain. I felt good about that. Frank had been right. I heard footsteps behind me and saw what looked to be another NOBO fast approaching. It turned out to be a NOBO named Mainer who finished up last month. He was just out hiking for the day. He said he would see me at the top, offered me a ride to Millinocket afterwards, and flew past towards the summit. The trail really does provide!I made the last push, and as I nested the summit, Baxter Peak, that iconic wooden sign came into view. I could see Homebound up there, and then Mainer, and I stepped faster, one step at a time, and then I was there. I ran over and kissed the sign. And that was that. 138 days and 2190.9 AT miles later, plus countless more miles from side trails and getting lost, somehow through the kindness and support of others, strangers and loved ones alike, the trail had gotten me here. And what was I to do now? I had finished the trail, but not the journey. This did not come as a surprise. The journey never ends if we keep it alive. I sat up at the summit and thought about this and talked with the guys for a bit. When it was time, I made my way slowly down the mountain, grateful to feel alive.
Date: 2019-03-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well folks, the hat is back and so is Hungry Cat!I'm posting this in my Appalachian Trail Journal, but in less than a month here in April 2019 I will be starting a northbound thru-hike of the Continental Divide Trail!!If you enjoyed this Appalachian Trail Journal and want to follow me on my thru-hike of the CDT, here's the scoop.I started a trail journal for the CDT hike, but in parallel I was already working on a project to build out my own blog site. Why? I will always have a special place in my heart for trailjournals.com, but the site was a bit difficult for me to update in the field last year. I also struggled with it being so difficult to add more than one photo in a journal entry, and in general, the photo functionality was lacking. At the same time, I have a desire to do more with my writing, adventuring, and budding video production. Over the last year I've loved having a creative outlet, and having my own website gives me a place to keep everything centralized, the way I want it to look and feel. I also wanted a site where people could truly subscribe for updates. With Trail Journals, your options are either to just keep checking back, or to subscribe for RSS feeds if you use a feed reader. Neither are very precise ways to follow along. I wanted readers to be able to get notifications when I make a new post. No notification? No need to waste time checking for new posts!If you are interested in following my CDT thru hike, check out my website, Unfettered Footsteps, at www.UnfetteredFootsteps.com.There you will also get access to all of my social media channels. I plan to cover a wider spectrum this year on the CDT hike, utilizing not only my blog, but Instagram, Facebook, and even YouTube for some videos. I will have occasional video updates, and when the hike is done I will be making a video series on the entire hike. Hopefully I will make it all the way to Canada! Canada or bust, as they say....I so appreciated all of your support and for sticking with me on the AT hike. It made it so much fun, especially when I got to actually meet folks on the trail. I'd love to have you all along for the CDT hike and future adventures at UnfetteredFootsteps.com!
Date: 2018-01-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It is another snowy day here in NH and I generally dislike the snow, however I see some benefit to it this year. I know, that' even hard for  ME to believe! In getting myself physically prepared to thru hike the AT, or at least as much as is possible for me to prepare in advance, I actually have been using the inclement weather as a fitness opportunity. I can see the irony in how I used to think of going out to shovel, such a chore! Back aching work! But this year I feel a bit welcoming to the opportunity to get my exercise in while being productive and purposeful at the same time. Not that it doesn't still come with the back ache, mind you.I've evolved. Many years ago, my son referred to me as a "Gym Rat". I was offended by it, but I really did spend time at the gym 5 days a week and for a couple of years had a personal trainer who whooped my butt 3 days a week before sunrise. I would do another 45 minutes on my treadmill at home after Kyle went to bed each night. I walked in the mornings before work when I wasn't at the gym. And then I guess I just burned out. I haven't stepped foot in a fitness center in probably 9-10 years. And my cross trainer at home sat so idle in its devoted room that Brian actually removed the detachable power cord so he didn't have to vacuum around it...and the cord was missing for a long, long time. Misplaced. We finally had to order a new one. For that long, long time I could not motivate myself to spend even 20 minutes on that machine. The only physical activity I squeezed into my insane work week was an occasional Sunday hike, 2 mile walk from the office at lunch and evening strolls with the dog and Brian. Sad but true. My how things have changed! I now look forward to shoveling, have been snowshoeing with my pack on, walking up and down the same set of stairs for 20-30 minutes, breezing thru sets of walking lunges back and forth across the house and 60 minutes on the cross trainer doesn't seem like enough! I am looking forward to being stronger and having more endurance on the trail. But the more important thing that I am receiving from my new exercise regiment is the realization that my mind and my determination are far more powerful than I thought. These exact tools will help me carry myself over more than 2,000 trail miles and countless ups and downs, physically and emotionally. And I will be ready to meet this challenge, head on!
Date: 2018-02-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: mist

Feeling the "need" to hike the AT this year comes easy...I really can't help it, it just speaks louder and louder to my heart until I can't ignore it. But making the choice to listen to it and obey its demands is altogether another story. I own a small business. A Successful Real Estate Brokerage with a team of 5. I love what I do and our clients mean the world to me, each and every one of them, even if many of them don't realize it. Thus deciding to leave for 6 months was an agonizing decision for me. So many questions and so much uncertainty initially circled in my head and kept me awake for hours at night with feelings of selfishness and guilt for having the want and the need to take this time for myself. Can I leave this behind for 6 months?At a recent team meeting I shared my struggles and concerns. The support I received from my team that morning and every single day since is so incredibly heartwarming and I feel so blessed and loved. I could not do this without them, not in a million years. I don't know how to adequately express how I feel about their support. The best I can say is that I feel like my heart is overflowing. I hope I make them proud out there!I'll be writing for the little hand delivered paper in our local communities and I hope that people who read it, enjoy it. If it were me reading one of my neighbors adventures, I think I would find that cool as heck!11 Weeks remain before I leave for Harper's Ferry and the Flip Flop Festival. Sometimes that seems like a long time and other days it feels like tomorrow, with so much to do in between. Either way, I'll be ready! Thanks to those who read this journal and write tips and words of encouragement and the support of my wonderful family at home and at the office!
Date: 2018-02-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I took a week off training. I fell 2 weeks ago on snow covered ice in a clients driveway. While the yaktrax and microspikes in my nearby vehicle laughed at me, my first thought was that I hope no one saw me splayed out on the ground! I mean really, I don't know how I allowed myself to be tricked by snow covered ice after living in New England all my life. That stuff is like baby powder on a marble floor and I know better. The second thought came after standing up and recounting the position my left leg was in and the slight twinge in my knee. No visible bruising, I worked out as usual the rest of the week but when the mild pain didn't subside I decided to rest for a week. I'm glad I did and it feels better. But getting back on the cross trainer today meant a workout that was harder than I remember. Still, it feels great to have accomplished it and I'm already looking forward to tomorrow. I know from social media, journals, etc., that I am not the only one concerned about getting hurt before starting the trail. So I will have to be more diligent about spying that Ninja ice so I don't get my butt kicked. There's a lot of "suck" to embrace on the trail and I don't want to have to try to embrace anything that would end my hike before it starts!Back on the food prep home front my order came in from Thrive, Untapped and Honey Stinger. Yummy natural energy snacks and my supplements. So I bagged up 6 weeks of my supplements last night and felt pretty accomplished. My dehydrated meals are growing in number and my wonderful Husband surprised me with a new freezer to store them all in. He also ordered my Spot, knife and a few other small items on my list, which is getting smaller by the day.
Date: 2018-03-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Time has been catching up with me and when I look over my shoulder I realize that in less than 6 short weeks I will be stepping foot on the AT to begin this amazing and exciting journey. When I stop to catch my breath and ponder it over it fills me with joy, anticipation and excitement as well as a sense of urgency to be 100% ready. We took a 10 day vacation to Hawaii in between training and food prepping. It was wonderful to be in the mountains there hiking. A particularly steep ascent aided by ropes really helped me to feel accomplished in my training. I felt very strong and able, yet at the same time I earned every bead of sweat that dripped from me. It was fun to share the adventure with Brian, and we both longed for more time there for trail exploration. What a wonderful island Oahu is. Now it's back to NH and back to training and food prep. I was able to cook some meals, run the dehydrator and add 9 more dinners to the growing collection. Later this week we will make the post office run to pick up some boxes that will be packed and ready to ship as needed. This way we can reclaim the dining room table which has become my staging area for snacks and dehydrated ingredients for meal prep.We've packed my pack and estimate that I will be around 31 pounds with 2 liters of water and 5 days of food. I'm satisfied with that and have been training with almost that much weight. I'm certainly looking forward to getting outside for the training without having to wade thru snow! So bring on the spring!