morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-08-29
From: Bog Brook Road, Flagstaff Lake

To: Pierce Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

We had to say our goodbyes to Wilcomico Walker. He went to the hospital and wasn't back until about 2:00 am, with a full cast on his left arm. They were able to leave his thumb and two fingers free, so he wasn't completely helpless. But, he wasn't able to get his pack on, plus there was no way for him to handle two hiking sticks. His plan is to slack pack the rest of the trail, but needs a couple days to plan it out and make the arrangements.Meanwhile, LWOP, Hammock Hanger and myself went on, hoping to meet WW in Monson. The days hike was on fairly flat terrain and not too difficult. We got a late start due to the time it takes to get to Bog Road and I didn't get to the Pierce Pond Lean-to until 7:00 pm. But what a pretty place. I set up my hammock right next to the Pond and listened to the Loons all night long. Also met Bluebird and a few other hikers. Bluebird says she is a slow hiker and I'm hoping to have a real hiking partner for the last part of this hike.
Date: 2004-08-30
From: Pierce Pond Lean-to

To: Pleasant Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: light rain

Didn't get to hike with Bluebird, she was gone by the time I was ready to leave, so hiked with LWOP and Hammock Hanger. We crossed the Kennebec River in the white blazed canoe and then stopped in Caratunk, ME for lunch. HH picked up her mail drop. In Caratunk there is a house with a TV satalite dish on its' roof that is bigger than the house it is mounted on! I was reminded of the joke "if your TV satalite dish is bigger than your house - you might be a red neck". The Pleasant Pond Lend-to was very pleasant. Well, not all that Pleasant. We went for a swim and just as we got back to the shelter, the skys opened up and rained all night. I had set up the hammock and stayed in it. Left my stuff on the ground, which would have been fine, except that by morning it was in a small pond of it's own. Fortunately, my pack cover and poncho were able to keep most of my stuff dry. Lost one of my platapus one quart water holders in the stream next to the shelter. Was filling it, lost my grip and off it went, right under a colapsed bridge and never came out. Oh, well, I've got one more, plus the two liter hydration carrier.
Date: 2004-08-31
From: Pleasant Pond Lean-to

To: Moxie Bald Lean-to
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Not much to report. The hiking was easy, if a bit wet and muddy due to the rain last night. We were warned about a three mile mud bog, but it didn't seem quite that long to me. Still don't like them, even when they are short. Set up the hammock next to the shelter again. LWOP, Hammock Hanger, Bluebird, Laura and Pablo and others were in the shelter and I set up my hammock. It occurred to HH that she hasn't used her hammock one time on this trip. I guess it was a good thing I picked the hammock that night. Everyone was complaining a couple of the hikers got up really early and made a lot of noise getting out, something I got to sleep through.
Date: 2004-09-01
From: Moxie Bald Lean-to

To: Monson, ME
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Got a fairly early start, 7:30 am, but almost everyone else was gone by then. I guess a couple hikers got up really early and woke everyone else up. Glan I picked the hammock.Todays hike had a little drama in it. We had two rivers to ford, the west and east branch of the Piscataquis River. The first one was the West Branch and was the harder of the two. When I got there, both LWOP and Hammock Hanger had already crossed and they (along with Plugger, a section hiker who was familair with the area) gave me directions to the shallow parts of the river. For some reason, the MATC (Maine Appalachean Trail Club) likes to put the white blazes where the deepest part of the rivers are whenever we have to cross one. They (the MATC) do such a good job with just about everything else, it's really a surprise. HH fell in, but was able to get back on her feet before someone else had to rescue her. Good thing, even LWOP couldn't help her. He was apparently having problems surviving the crossing himself. Later on, I met up with Laura & Pablo and Bluebird after crossing the East Branch. It was much easier, though still almost waist deep. Bluebird and I hiked together for awhile, but I lost her when she stopped for a break. Then met up with Laura and Pablo and we were able to hitch a ride to Shaw's in Monson. We passed LWOP and Hammock Hanger hiking on the way in. Guess they don't have a golden thumb like mine.
Date: 2004-09-02
From: Monson, ME

To: Maine Hwy 15
Miles today: 3.3

LWOP and myself shared a room at Shaw's and we also met up with Wicomico. He did a little slack packing, but had to quit at the West Branch of the Piscataquis river. Not allowed to get his cast wet, plus not strong enough to hold a hiking pole in is left hand. You need both hiking poles to get accross that river.Later, LWOP's wife Bonnie and Bea showed up. We went to lunch in Greenville. We met up with Flora & Fawna and Dharma crossing the trail on the way to Greenville and on the way back met with Bluebird. We then did a 3.3 mile slack pack to cover the trail we would have done yesterday, but were too lazy to do then.
Date: 2004-09-03
From: Maine Hwy 15

To: Wilson Valley Lean-to
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: few clouds

The start of the 100 mile wilderness. For the first time, I can see a light at the end of a tunnel - and it's not a freight train coming my way. Bonnie, Bea and Hammock Hanger hiked with LWOP and myself for the first couple hours. Hammock Hanger has completed her multi-year thru hike and wasn't planning on going all the way thru the wilderness with us. They all plan to meet us at the other end and climb Mt Katadin with LWOP. I probably will be a day or two behind him. After they left us, LWOP was planning for a 19 mile day and I wasn't. We said our good byes, for now. It was cold during the night, but I was fine in the hammock.
Date: 2004-09-05
From: West Charback Pond Side Trail

To: Sidney Tappan Campsite
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Met up with Flora & Fawna and Dharma. They are hiking a lot faster than I am. Hoped to catch up with Bluebird, but no luck so far. Someone said she wasn't feeling too good, mostly because she did a 18 mile hike the day before and probably exhausted herself. At the campsite, there were a group of trail builders who were building stairs for the next section. Told them they had until morning to complete it, since that was when I would be using them. Set up the hammock on the ground, since it was clear it was going to be colder than the previous nights. Still don't have the hang of it. Got lots of condensation on the canopy and it dripped onto everything else. This despite hanging the canopy about three feet above everything else. Using the hammock as a tent on the ground needs a bit more work.
Date: 2004-09-06
From: Sidney Tappan Campsite

To: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Stopped to admire the work of the trail crew. They didn't quite get all the steps in when I passed, but they had most of them in place. Good work.Stopped for an hour on top of White Cap Mt to dry out my hammock, sleeping bag and poncho. Everything else was fine. Decided to try and catch up to Bluebird, so did a few extra miles today. Met up with her at the shelter. She said she felt a little sick the day before, but was feeling fine now. We agreed to try and hike the rest of the wilderness together.
Date: 2004-09-07
From: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to

To: Whitehouse Landing
Miles today: 13.7

The hiking was fairly easy and Bluebird and myself seem to be able to hike together. We kind of missed the turn off to Whitehouse Landing, but managed to figure it out after hiking about two extra miles. Not sure how we missed the business card nailed to the tree at the road we had to turn on. Oh, well. The Whitehouse Landing is nice. We had dinner and got separate private rooms. They don't have electricity, but seem to get by fairly well without it. Listened to the Loons on the lake late into the night.
Date: 2004-09-08
From: Whitehouse Landing

To: Rainbow Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: overcast clouds

After a nice day of hiking with Bluebird, stayed in the shelter. It looked like rain, and we had the whole shelter to ourselves. Somebody left a candle, so we had a candle light dinner and then fell asleep to the sound of the babbling stream. It rained a little, but it was OK. No leaks in the roof.
Date: 2004-09-09
From: Rainbow Stream Lean-to

To: Abol Bridge
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: moderate rain

Hiked with Bluebird again. It was raining when we started and never really stopped. By the time we got to Abol Bridge, we both were a little chilled and decided to hitch a ride into Millinocket, ME. We got a room at the Appalachean Trail Lodge, where we met up with Flora, Fauna, Dharma, Red Dog, plus a few others. Several thru hikers had attempted to go up Mt Katadin during the last couple days, but were turned back by bad weather. Two people made it up on the 8th, but they had to literally crawl on the ground for a mile and a half to make it. Red Dog had rented a cabin for Friday and Saturday nights on Kidney Pond and invited Bluebird and myself to join him. I guess everything else was pretty much filled up in the park and we might have to wait until Monday or Tuesday to summit. We accepted and plan to hike from Abol Bride to the cabin on Friday, the 10th and summit on Saturday the 11th.
Date: 2004-09-10
From: Rainbow Stream Lean-to

To: Daisey Pond Campground
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Bluebird and I shared a taxi with Red Dog and another hiker out to Abol Bridge. We then hiked to Daisey Pond and then over to Kidney Pond where Red Dog was waiting. Seems Red Dog had left out an important factiod about the cabin he rented. It was only for two people, not for three. And the Baxter Park officials weren't ready for any margin of error in this. Fortunately, somebody didn't arrive and I was able to rent another cabin while Bluebird and Red Dog stayed in the 1st one. All this occurred in the middle of the night, naturally.
Date: 2004-09-11
From: Daisey Pond Campground

To: Mt Katahdin
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: clear sky

After being kicked out of the cabin I was sharing with Red Dog and Bluebird and not getting a whole lot of sleep, my mood in the morning wasn't quite what it should have been. Bluebird decided she didn't want to hike with me. We hiked together from Kidney Pond to Daicey Pond, then I went on ahead of her while she played with her camera. Saw Bea at the base of the Mountain, at about 9:00 am and she said everyone else had gone up the mountain three hours ago. So I hiked up the mountain by myself. Saw a lot of friends on the way up, including Wendy, who had stopped about 3/4 of the way up and was going to wait for the rest of the gang to come back down. While I was going up, saw Flora & Fawna, Dharma, Bandecoot, Red Dog, LWOP, Hammock Hanger, and many others on their way down. Got to the top about 1:00 pm and saw T - who I hadn't seen since Daleville in VA. Took some pictures and then started on my way down and saw Bluebird on her way up. Caught up with Wendy, Hammock Hanger, Bonnie and LWOP on the way down. Then hiked with them until we got to the base, about 5:30 pm, and Bea gave us all rides back into Millinocket in her van.I've summitted Mt Katahdin,I'm a Hiker God now.I started in Springer Mountaina life time ago.I've summitted Mt Kathadin,I'm a hiker god now.I didn't blue blaze, didn't yellow blaze, nor did I aqua blaze.I didn't even do a pink blaze on June twenty first!I've summitted Mt Katahdin,I'm a hiker god now.When I answer questions,I don't even need to know the answer.I've summitted Mt Katahdin,I'm a hiker god now,my journey has endedand so has this poem!
Date: 2004-11-08
To: Finally home
Miles today: 0.0

It took a while to get the DSL line in so I could use the internet and e-mail.I've been keeping busy with finding a place to live and helping Florida Trail Association with hurricane damage in Jonathon Dickinson State Park. Some day I'm going to have to find a job or some way of earning money to pay bills, but will probably wait until after I've completed the Ocean to Lake hike in February.Looking forward to the Big "O" hike around Lake Okeechobee from Nov 20th thru Nov 28th and then the Ocean to Lake backpacking trip from Feb 26th thru Mar 3rd or 4th. There has been a certain amount of trail relo going on while I was gone and like the AT, these things tend to add to the distance we have to go.Should anyone want to contact me:e-mail: pjguyon@att.netphone number:561-801-2063address:4276 Hwy 441 SOkeechobee, FL 34974Hope to hear from you all!
Date: 2003-11-05
To: To bed
Miles today: 0.0

Well, it's 12:00 a.m., exactly 46 days after I came home from my 2003 AT thru-hike attempt that turned into, I guess you can say, a really long shake-down for a 2004 thru-hike.You can read about my 2003 hike in the 2003 section, under the same trail name, but what it amounts to is a purist intention to begin, and finally dwindling down to a nice 5 month hike in the woods. I am planning a start date in the vicinity of the last week of March and first week of April, and this time I will be out there to conquer the AT. This girl is on a mission in 2004.So, if all goes according to plan (or at least somewhere close to plan), I'll be out again next year! Yahoo!
Date: 2003-11-06
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, yesterday I got one of those things that gives you money for doing things for them...what is the word I am thinking of? Oh yeah - - a job. Job #1 of, God, who knows. As many as it takes to save up for another hike.Fortunately, the only bills I have at this point are food, car insurance, and entertainment. This helps out A LOT, as I am just not able to talk myself into getting another office job right now. I almost did, but just couldn't bring myself into sending a resume. I don't want another cube job right now. I've done enough sitting on my ass for 40-50 hours a week in the last 6 years. No more. Not right now.So, my options right now are to take a considerable pay cut and work a lot. Hey - - I'm used to the not sleeping well and hard work, so this may not be that hard. We'll see.
Date: 2003-11-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

So, after deciding to try to save up for another thru-hike attempt for 2004, I stayed up until 4 o'clock in the morning, planning out a "theoretical" hiking schedule, up to Harpers Ferry. Not that staying up until 4 a.m. was really a big task...it seems that my sleeping schedule is just out of whack right now. No harm in being prepared, right?I have decided to set out in early April, and reach Katahdin in early October. I still want to keep a nice pace on the trail, and leave room for a few inclement weather days (especially through pieces of the trail that I missed the first try). For me, the most important aspect is to enjoy the trail, not to just race through it. We all have our goals for the trail, but no speed records will be set on this hike. I think I will feel a lot more confident about this upcoming hike. I've been out already, in the elements, and know I can handle it. I know what to expect now (the unexpected). I will go into this trip informed, and not ignorant. It feels good. Now, all I need to do is raise some money!
Date: 2003-11-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

This job is a means to an end....this job is a means to an end....this job is a means to an end...If I keep repeating this to myself, then I may actually believe it.I am really seeing the depression that people get, once they leave the trail, firsthand these days. It is as if there is little out there in the real world to motivate you, as would a nice 1000 foot climb in the morning, to start your day. I'm no longer waking up at early hours in the morning, thinking 'I've been here too long, it's time to go,' only to realize, a few minutes later, that I'm not in some hostel or hotel. I'm at home. I've accepted this much, at least.There are good days, though. You do gain a different perspective after the hike, and you honestly do have a higher confidence in doing what you want. For me, I know I will not settle with an occupation that I simply do not enjoy. I see friends and family members doing this all around me, and they just do not look happy. I don't want to be that person when I finally complete my yearning for a thru-hike, and move on. I am hoping to save the money to attempt another thru-hike this year, but will honestly be happy if I can at least walk the miles that I missed this past year. At least I think I will be. I guess we'll see.
Date: 2004-01-12
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, after some planning and thought, it looks as if I may have to either do a section hike this year to finish up what I missed last year, or do a SOBO trip if I want to save up the cash to thru-hike this year. I applied for a fitness grant, which only accepts 3-6 people per year. I am not sure of my odds, as it doesn't really mention odds, but I can't just count on that to get a hike in this year. So, when putting plans into a realistic spectrum, chances are that I will get some hiking in this year, but not all that I had originally intended. That's okay, though, because the trail will always be there, and with the new priorities I have (coming off of the trail last year), I don't think that taking 6 months off of my current career will be a really hard thing to do. After a few months of wrestling with the idea, I've come up with the conclusion that I am not likely to have a steady office job for at least a few years, and I'm happy with that. Especially when it gives me the opportunity to take on challenges such as this, in part or in it's entirety.Good luck to all the 2004 hikers out there! I hope to see you at some point!
Date: 2004-02-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Decisions, decisions.I am still sitting here, almost impatiently, and very anxiously awaiting decision on my hiking grant for the year. I have 13 LOOOONNNNGGG days to wait until I hear whether or not I will receive it. In the meantime, I have been cleaning up the gear I will use this year, trying on and making sure my shoes and hiking clothes still fit (who am I kidding, I wear my hiking shoes every day!), and browsing through trail pages. If the grant falls through (I'm not counting on it, nor am I discounting it, as I honestly don't know what my odds are), my plans are just to head up to CT at the end of the summer and finish off what I started last year. I hope all my buds from 2k3 will be making it to Trail Days this year! I am getting anxious about that as well! I swear, not a day goes by that something makes me remember a little part of the experience last year. I can almost recall every single day of my hiking, which lasted about 4-5 months, approximately 150 days. I can't think of any other year of my life that I could remember 150 days so crisply and clearly. I hope it never fades. In the meantime, I guess I will go back to planning out tentative hiking days, and chewing my nails until I find out what I'm doing this year!!!
Date: 2004-02-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, it looks like there will be no thru-hike for me this year. I was passed up on the grant, and can't afford to uproot and do another thru-hike attempt on my own. It's okay, though. I'll get back out there to try to do the whole thing again some day soon. As for now, it looks like my hiking is going to be somewhere around Trail Days this year. A few of us from 03 are planning to do some hiking before and after, and who knows how long I'll stay out there then. Maybe I'll get to see some of you out there! Thanks to all who I've hiked with, or have run into in the 2003 season, who have left me supportive messages. I'll update this page when I do get a chance to get out and hike, so stay tuned! Hope to see you guys at Trail Days this year!
Date: 2004-03-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

dear Sagittarius, if there's something interesting that you've been wanting to get involved with, this is a great day for it. Adventure brings excitement, creative flow, and energy, and as a Sagittarian, these are essential. Yours is often a highly artistic nature, and continual stimulation is required to keep your psyche healthy. Make a point to experience something new today. Even if it's just a walk to somewhere you've never been before, it'll bring the adrenaline you need.-----------------------------------I'm not saying that I turn to my horoscope for advice or anything, but is it really coincidence that this was today's horoscope, when I sat down and considered fronting another thru-hike attempt with my savings?I had this thought come into my head, and have been thinking a lot about it today. I could use some of my savings and get this thru-hike done, already! I'm still young. It's not like this money I am using will be a huge dent, in the long run. Besides, if I don't take the opportunity now, it may be years before I really am able to do it. As it stands now, I'm changing careers. I'm going back to school. I am thinking about moving out of Texas, and starting a life somewhere else. I don't have a permanent address right now. I don't have a real job. I still have what's left of my belongings stored. From the looks of it, you can almost say that I haven't even been back from the trail yet. So what are my options? I could go back to school, finish school (which could take a few years), while this hangs over my head, then get a few years older, and hike. Unpack all my belongings, move to a different state, get settled in, and uproot again?I'm thinking NO.The reality is that I have a tendency to start things, and never finish them. The thru-hike attempt last year was just one more victim added to the list. Of course, hiking last year changed me, and changed my perspective on a lot of things. I am now ready to move forward, and to actually achieve what I set out to. But then, I can't have THIS hanging over my head. I need to get back out, and put in a good effort to finish this time. So, it really is important for me to do this. Am I going back for the right reasons, though? Yes. I honestly long to be on the trail again. I had the time of my life last year, and finishing would have been icing on the cake. I still want my cake this year, but I want that icing, too. cake. Anyway, if I wake up tomorrow, and still feel the same way, then I guess I will know the answer.