morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-08-14
From: Rainbow Stream Lean-to

To: Abol Bridge Campground
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We were up at 5:45am. We were not rushing this morning, short day ahead, only 15 miles. We saw Mt. Katahdin from Rainbow Ledges. We took a snack break with Fatty at the Ledges. All morning we looked forward to getting ice-cream at Abol Bridge Campstore. You would think that after a near 30 mile day yesterday, we would be running a bit slow, but the thought of ice-cream propels us forward. Never underestimate the power of ice-cream!We got to Abol Bridge Campstore at 12:50pm with Fatty. We all got snacks and ice-cream and ate at the picnic table outside of the store. We sat and ate at the picnic table while making numerous trips back into the store for more food. All in all, we were at the picnic table for 4.5 hours. Yep, you read that right. Four and a half hours of grazing.Geronimo and Rattle got there about 1.5 hours after we did and joined us in the "snacking". Humpty-Dumpty arrived via car sometime later with Rhino and his dog Ronja. Rhino has already hiked the 9.9 miles to Katahdin Streams Campground and will be summiting tomorrow. No dogs are allowed in Baxter State Park so Humpty-Dumpty is watching his dog for him and they are camping here for the night also.Geronimo crossed paths with his parents and they showed up at the campground with their travel trailer. They invited all of us to dinner. They put on a great meal, hamburgers, hotdogs, and vegetables fresh from their garden. Dinner was cooked over an open fire. They had a campsite on the West Branch of the Penobscot River overlooking Katahdin. Mr. and Mrs. Geronimo were very friendly and generous. They cooked an incredible dinner. We stayed and ate and talked for hours. We watched a gorgeous sunset and listened to the loons as we ate dinner. It was amazing how they put on such a wonderful dinner for so many hikers with no notice. We said our goodnights to them at 8:15pm.We walked back to our campsite at Abol Bridge Campground. Boston had set up the tent earlier and we had both taken showers before dinner, oh how nice. Our clothes were dirty, but we were clean. This was our LAST night in the tent for the trip! If all works out, we will be in a Millinocket motel tomorrow night with Boston's Dad. If the weather holds, we will summit Katahdin the next day (16th).In bed at 8:55pm.
Date: 2005-08-15
From: Abol Bridge Campground

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

We got up at 5:30am. For breakfast, we enjoyed pastries and OJ which we bought last night at the campstore. Fatty stopped by our campsite to see us off. We will probably see him tomorrow sometime during the hike up to the summit of Mt. Katahdin.The hike today was easy! Easy terrain with great weather. We got to Katahdin Stream Campground at 10:45am. Boston's dad, Crampy, was planning on meeting us, but we beat him there. We signed the AT Register at the Ranger Station. Fifteen minutes later, Crampy arrived. He hiked with us a few feet north on the AT to the trailhead register/sign-in board. He wanted to hike this short "section" so that he could say he was "back on the trail" today.Crampy drove us to Millinocket, where he had already made motel reservations. We showered at the motel and went to lunch at Angelo's Pizza. Angelo's has VERY good pizza. On the way back from lunch, we saw Humpty, Stick and Rhino at the laundromat. We stopped and said hello. We congratulated Rhino on summiting Katahdin today. He says he is now a "thru-hiker". He was extremely happy and we were happy for him. We look forward to our own summit attempt tomorrow.Boston's brother and girlfriend got to town around 5:30pm and we all went to dinner. They are going to hike to the summit tomorrow also. Crampy will hike the 1.2 miles to Katahdin Falls and then wait for us at Katahdin Stream Campground.After dinner, we all went back to the motel. We want to get an early start in the morning, so we all went to bed early.
Date: 2005-08-17
To: HOME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Just a few final words...It was a long, hard journey. Somewhere in the middle it seemed to be too long. Grinding out the miles during the middle part of the trail seemed to be the most difficult. There were days when the trail seemed too long and too difficult to complete, and it wasn't so much the hiking that was difficult. The mental aspect of it was much more difficult than any other. After taking a few zero days prior to Vermont, our attitudes greatly changed for the better. We thoroughly enjoyed the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the state of Maine. Looking back, we both agree that Maine was our favorite state, followed closely by New Hampshire.Some people have an overly-romantic view of the trail. They think it is just "a walk in the woods." It is long and hard, nothing about it is easy. Along the way, you question many times whether it is worth it.We are still not sure how this journey will influence our lives, but we know that it already has.Numerous people have asked, "What will you do after the trail?", and all we can say is, "We don't really know yet."It feels good having succeeded at such a long endeavor. We would just like to reflect on that for a while before deciding what to do next.
Date: 2005-08-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

GEARThings that worked and things that didn'tHenry Shires Cloudburst Tarptent held up very well for the entire trail. We had no issues with it. In fact, we tented more than any other thru-hiker we hiked with.Our number one favorite piece of gear was our Mammut Stratus Jacket. It was worth it's weight in gold.Pepsi Can Stove with wind screen from Anti-Gravity Gear was fabulous. No moving parts. We used it every day and it never failed. How can you beat it?We made a pot cozy for our pot which we used in the cold weather and it worked great.Granite Gear Ozone backpacks were awesome! They were the right size and held up extremely well.Our summer bags were Marmot Pounders. They kept us warm and were durable.Our raingear was Marmot Precip. We had the jackets and the pants the entire trip. They played a dual role. Raingear and a warmer layer for colder weather. They held up well.None of our equipment failed. Not bad!
Date: 2005-01-20
To: Read This First!
Miles today: 0.0

Hey Everyone!I¢d like to start off by shooting out a little disclaimer to you guys reading my journal! Generally, I find it advantageous to think before I speak. I am one of those people who likes to say what I mean, and mean what I say. I always try to be extremely accurate in my language and word choices, because poor phrases lead to poor understanding and confusion. However, proper words and phrases aren¢t going to always happen here. This is a journal that I am using to collectively organize a whole mash of thoughts into one arena and it shouldn¢t be read as a complete work, as just like this journey on the AT is not going to be finished any time soon, neither is this journal, it is a work in progress and I¢ll need to look at in retrospect to fully understand it! That being said, it can be understood by you, the reader that the words may be poor choices at the time, and you may be mislead by my words and sayings. Once I am somewhere in life more conducive to effectively writing a journal of these experiences, it will be done. Until then you will get to read an unedited and uncut version! Yeah, you should be excited! Just make sure and realize that you could take something the wrong way when reading this, so take it all with all grain of salt! I am offering you all the opportunity to look at my thoughts first hand before I have really even evaluated them! This should be one heck of a ride!HERE WE GO!UNEDITED AND UNCUT!THANKS EVERYBODY, AND DON'T FORGET TO SIGN MY GUEST BOOK!
Date: 2005-01-25
To: Thinking of when I'll see Springer
Miles today: 0.0

Well, What a year! After planning for the journey that will initiate my new life day in and day out for over twelve months it is only nearly two months away! Even people not very close to me know that this one vision of mine is what drives me, morning noon and night, and that every ounce of my free time goes into planning this. What people on the outside may not see though, it that this trail requires more than just time to plan maildrops and buy gear, it requires that a hiker give his entire self to it in various aspects. True, to hike the trail, someone does not have to be the most fit person in his city, or an avid or dedicated outdoors person. Many people that hike the Appalachian Trail have not even done extensive backpacking in the past. However, only about 10% of the people who attempt a thru-hike are successful, so in regards to preparation, it is a trade off as far as I am concerned. I have given every aspect of myself to it. I have saved every penny I have earned for about fifteen months to ensure I am financially secure on the trail, and I have maintained steadfast in not getting myself into any commitments or obligations that would force me off of the trail. When I get on the trail, nothing back here could force me off. Here is the funny thing though, I could sit here and say how hard it all has been to leave this life behind and give up all I have to reach the trail, but it wasn¢t really hard¢¦Sure, I don¢t get to drive around in a nice truck, because I don¢t want vehicle payments on the trail, so I drive around in a 17 year old truck that is paid for, and I don¢t have a nice place to live, but big deal! I am HAPPY! Isn¢t that what matters! I have given up more than anyone really knows, but I have gotten back more than anyone could realize! I have already learned the most important lesson of the trail without even hiking it fully yet, you don¢t need a lot to be happy, you just need to be free from superfluous constraints! It is such a gift that the preparing for the trail has given me!
Date: 2005-01-28
To: The A.T. !
Miles today: 0.0

I think I have almost paid the salaries of several employees at Borders Books and Quest Outdoors and as a result, I think have finally chosen all of my gear! I have reduced my pack weight by over one half of what it has weighed in the past, so it should be a fairly comfortable pack compared to what I have done/carried in the past. However, toting around 25 pounds on your back when climbing mountains all day long still isn't exactly what I would classify as easy.More than my new gear or anything else though, I am excited about the people I will meet, and the mental challenge involved in my forthcoming journey. The places I see will be great, especially in places like The Whites in New Hampshire and just the Trail in general in Vermont, but the reason I am hiking this thing isn't mainly for the views and for the scenery, it is for the multiple effects I will realize when I accomplish something this massive. I want to see what happens when you strip life of all superfluous needs and exist solely in nature with what is necessary to live. I mean, I love backpacking would be a simple answer to the question, ¢Why do you want to do this?¢ but I am trying to explain the desire for the trail. If you ask a thru-hiker the question, "Why in the heck are you going to walk from Georgia to Maine?" there isn't really a standard answer anyone could ever give. My answer COULD be, "To learn and grow mentally. To experience what happens upon completion of something so huge. To see if I can enjoy the moment and not worry about what doesn't really matter while out there." But honestly, I don't have an answer. I know I must do this, and that is it. I don¢t know why. I mean, I do want to try and see if I teach myself to enjoy where I am in the moment, but I don¢t know why I want to hike the trail. One great answer to that I heard once was this, ¢If you need to ask why, you wouldn¢t understand the answer. This is a life changing experience¢I will complete this because my goal isn't to have fun and run if there is pain or it isn¢t fun for a moment. I want to see what it feels like to finish a thru-hike, plain and simple. I will not stop until I reach Katahdin, and I will do that by setting small manageable goals. If you are going to do something, do it to the max of your ability, put every ounce of energy into it, and do not waiver. (AND HAVE FUN WHILE DOING IT!) I believe we can do anything we set our minds to and this is my goal.
Date: 2005-01-30
To: The Future.
Miles today: 0.0

Wow,What an awesome life. After graduation I get to really start a life that will be greater than I ever could have imagined, and the A.T. is the start of it all. I mean, I really am looking the future dead in the eye. The trail is truly the start of my life. After finishing school this is such an awesome mission!... Right here, right now, I am still living the life of a student and worker. But my mind has been gone for quite some time. I am trying to do everthing I can though, to take advantage of the things I will miss from this town while I am still here. I took my bike to the shop to get its routine maintenance so I can try to do to some cycling before I leave, and I am also not hesitating to skip my training sessions for opportunities to hang out with friends and family, because they take precedence now since they are soon to be unavailable to me. I have been thinking a lot about the trail, and want I might look back on while I am on it, and wish I would have done, or done more of, and I am trying to do those things. The trail might take 3 months or it might take six, but judging from the advice of past thru-hikers, I am going to take my time. So many hikers reget rushing through the trail, and so I am planning on at least six months. I have an awesome life ahead of me, but I have to remind myself constantly not to rush it, and to enjoy each stage of it as it exists and is. The trail seems like the end of so much and the beginning of so much, this is going to be so epic!
Date: 2005-01-31
To: Gear 
Miles today: 0.0

I am so psyched! I got to wear my hiking shoes for the first time today! I am starting to break them in for the trip finally. I know it will only take a few days to break them in but I am just happy I have finally gotten to the point that I can start using/preparing some of my gear. It has been sitting around the past year while I bought everything and stocked up, and I can't explain how bad it was just looking at it all and I couldn't use it! Well, I did also get to go through the joy of purchasing all of my gear twice since the house fire, so I guess I got it good, since I at least got to make nearly a million trips to the outfitters here in town, (Quest Outdoors) and make tons of purchases, and I did get my gear replaced, so it turned out fine in the end.These shoes feel awesome. I am really glad I went with these lightweight badboys, because like they say, a pound on the foot equals 5 or six pounds on the back...In about a month I'll get to do a field trial of my water purifier, sleeping bag and tent. I can't wait!  I hope I'm not scared to actually get my gear dirty now since it's been sitting pretty in my room for the past few months! I think I'll be able to make the transition though!
Date: 2005-02-01
To: Trail Community
Miles today: 0.0

So,For anyone not really familiar with the trail, Today I want to discuss my answer to a question that everyone asks...Well, wait a minute, actually, I am going to answer two questions, becuase I just thought of the second most asked question too!The questions are;"You're hiking alone?!?!?"and "What about the Bears?!?!"Well, for the first question...Yes, I am hiking the trail alone if by alone you mean I am not going down there to the start of the trail with anyone I know and I don't anyone else who is hiking it really. However, I will not be alone on the trail. Anyone who is familiar with the trail can say that one important aspect of the trail is the amazing sence of community on the trail and the rapid information transfer on the trail. About 90% of the people who attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail start in georgia in finish in Maine for several reasons, one of which is the weather. There is basically a two month window of time which hikers must start the trail to hit good weather on the trail. This window is from March to April. Since everyone starts at the same time, you get to know a lot of the other people attempting a thru-hike, and often you all will go into town together to split costs of a hotel or whatever...This isn't very akward since you sleep with these people often at shelters or campsites or whatever. A hiker may not know anyone when he leaves, but chances are he will meet people that become friends. I mean, chances are, you won't be alone very often, especially on a northbound hike...As far as bears!!!...There isn't many black bear fatalities in the United States! More thru-hikers get hit by cars! Not many thru-hikers are concerned with bears. I have scared away the two black bears I personally have seen near trails by raising my arms and talking to the bear. They are terrified of people and run away. In the two areas of the trail where there are actually a lot of bears, (thats right, only two areas...),The Smokies and New Jersey, there are still not a lot of problems. When I lived in Yellowstone there was black bears everywhere and they are about as likely to attack you as a DEER.TAKE IT EASY EVERYONE, AND DON'T WORRY ABOUT BEARS!
Date: 2005-02-04
To: Here Comes the Sun
Miles today: 0.0

That was an awesome drive in to work.I woke up this morning after a wonderful nine hour sleep and felt fantastic. I haven't worked out in two days because I have been giving my body a little well needed rest after a fifteen mile run two days ago and about two months of hard training nearly every day. What a great day... Today was the first sunny and warm day since the beginning of winter and it was amazing riding in to work this afternoon. The sun was glistening off the ohio and its water looked bluer than usual since it hasn't rained very recently. There is something so incredibly rejuvenating after a long grey winter when the sun comes out for the first time and the air starts to get a little bit warmer and it actually feels good against your skin. I had my windows down and I was listening to this great CD that my brother got me for Christmas by a band called 'Old Crow Medicine Show'. It is this progressive bluegrass band that fuses rock and blues styled chord progressions along with bluegrass and they use strictly bluegrass instruments. They have this uplifting and lofty feel and give the mood of the music a woody and rustic feel, that also feels nostalgic,as well as new and fresh too. Happy and simplistic. It was great, just letting the wind hit me and seeing the sun. Everyone feels good when the sun is out. I like a cloudy day every now and then, but after a long winter, the sun is so uplifting. It is funny how something so natural like a sunny day can make people so happy...It is like a positive force and other things seem to not matter as much, so basic... I can't wait to get out there on the trail, and just experience the sun and clouds, and things so natural. These natural things make us truly happy, unlike so many things we try to use create happiness in our lives, that are really just distractions. I mean, when you're down, you can't imagine that a sunny warm day is all you need, but sometimes it is, and even though we couldn't admit it to ourselves when we're down, we just need to get to the basics and look for the sun. Our problems our mostly self imposed, and we can leave them if we choose. What an awesome day. I am glad.
Date: 2005-02-07
To: No! This is horrible.
Miles today: 0.0

Well, this is complete garbage. I sit here now typing this with my leg propped up in a brace, with crutches next to me. I did some massive damage to my knee on Friday night when I was snowboarding, and then the doctors in the Immediate Care Center said they don't know what is wrong with it. I have to go to an Orthopedic Doctor today, since they weren't open this weekend. What a complete load of crap! I mean, I go snowboarding about four times per week, from December to April, so that is a lot of snowboarding, and I have never gotten injured before like this. I was going off this jump that I have done many times previously and my friends and I even call it, "My Jump", because of my fondness for the style of this particular jump's entrance and exit. Well, I landed with my leg too straight,which I usually never do, and as I landed all I heard was some popping and crackling, and I felt a lot of really nasty stuff moving around in my leg. It was just one of those stupid things, and now I don't know if I need surgery or not. I'll find out soon, hopefully today, so I'll be praying that this won't affect my hike, because snowboarding season is probably over for me, and the hike takes precedent over everything. If I need surgery, I am going to try to get it done ASAP, tomorrow even if they can do it.I have an appointment today at 10:30. I hope I don't need surgery. I'll update you guys later, take it easy everyone, and say a prayer my knee will be allright, Thanks....
Date: 2005-02-14
To: More GEAR GEAR GEAR
Miles today: 0.0

I sat around all day yesterday boiling water...I didn't really know how many meals that one canister of fuel for my 'Jetboil' Stove would cook, and so I had to see how many liters I could boil using one canister. I couldn't trust the stats on my stove from the manufacturer because even though it says it will boil twelve liters of water on one canister, it also says that it will boil two cups of water in 90 seconds, and I timed all my boils and they all took around two minutes. I was hoping to get fourteen boils minimum out of one canister of fuel because that would allow at least 14 days of dinners in the summer if I didn't cook my breakfast, and then my maildrops wouldn't need to be so frequent. (I have to maildrop my fuel because it might be hard to acquire on the trail at certain spots.) I wanted more than fourteen boils per canister but I would have been content with fourteen. Each boil I did yesterday and this past week was done with new fresh water. The fourteen boils I was hoping to achieve was at a quantity of two cups each since my dinners require two cups of water. I was amazed at the results! I sat around after number fourteen and thought to myself, "Every time that my stove boils two cups after magic number fourteen that means I get hot breakfasts also!" I ended up boiling twenty-five, two cup servings! I can go for three weeks of hot dinners on one canister of fuel if I want to! This stove is awesome. That frees up my trek so much, since I won't have to worry about my maildrops now for fuel as much... And the best part is, On top of the fact the stove weighs less than other stoves out there, It is compact also! With fuel, it still weighs in at less than a pound! I also decided to ditch the Chaco sandals I thought I would use when I wasn't hiking. I figured that since I was hiking in lightweight trail running shoes that I wouldn¢t need to really have extra shoes for camp. I am gradually eliminating all of my gear! Every time I think I have gotten to THE BARE ESSENTIALS, I keep cutting just one more thing out! Here is the weight I will be carrying as of now... Year Round Gear - (In LBS:OZ) MountainSmith Ghost Pack- 2:0Jetboil Stove with Fuel- 1:0 Therm-A-Rest Pro-Lite 3- 1:0 Water (Two, Two liter Nalgene Bottles) - 5:0 Clothes (One polypro shirt, Nylon shorts, no pockets, strings etc.) - 0:10 North Face Hyvent Shell Jacket - 0:15 MSR Miox Purifier - 0:8 MSR Hubba Tent - 3:4 Food (1.5lbs/day @ 6 days increments)- 9:0 Trail Guide and Pen/Paper (loose paper torn out of book)- 0:5 Winter Gear: Mountain Hardwear Piute Sleeping Bag- 2:10 Clothes (Addition for extra warmth) - 0:6 TOTAL WINTER WEIGHT (Winter + Year Round Gear)= 25:10 Winter Gear is 25 Pounds and 10 Ounces Summer Gear: LaFuma Warm $ Lite Down bag- 1:5 TOTAL SUMMER WEIGHT (Summer + Year Round Gear)= 23:15 Summer Gear is 23 Pounds and 15 Ounces