morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-07-29
From: Little Bigelow Lean-To

To: Pierce Pond Lean-To
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: broken clouds

Today started out beautiful and only continued to get better as the day went on. My picture today was taken around 7 am at Flagstaff Lake. As we approached, we could hear the Loons call to each other. It's a beautiful sound and I can hear them now in my campsite near the Pierce Pond Lean-To.Around noon, we decided to stop at a small sandy beach on Carry Pond for lunch. But, before eating, we decided a swim was in order. The water was 5 feet deep and clear enough to see my feet easily and it was cold enough to almost take my breath away when I first got in. It was wonderfully refreshing. We ended up spending almost an hour there and was joined by several others before moving on.Even with our extended break, we still arrived at our campsite by 4 pm. We hiked 17.7 miles today.  I'm currently camped about 50 feet from the water's edge and can hear the Loons as the sun slowly sets.  Tomorrow's weather is supposed to be just like today's...meaning perfect for hiking. About 3/10s of a mile from my campsite is a hunting and fishing camp. The owner opens the lodge to thru-hikers for breakfast for a small fee. At 7 am, I will be setting down to eggs, sausage, pancakes, coffee, and juice. It sounds much better than what I had planned... another day of Pop-Tarts.  As it stands now, by the end of my hike, I could be diagnosed with PTSD, ¢Pop-Tart Stress Disorder¢! Eggs and pancakes sound heavenly.After breakfast, we plan to continue on to the Kennebec River. This is the only spot on the entire trail where "shoe-leather" is not the mode of transportation. Due to dangerous conditions, a canoe with a white blaze painted on its bottom will transport us across the river. I'm looking forward to traveling a few yards of my journey while sitting on my butt!After the river crossing, I plan to stop at a hostel near Caratunk but not for the night. I'm hoping we¢ll arrive before noon just for a quick resupply (and I hear their sandwiches and shakes are great too) and then on for another 14.7 miles.But that's tomorrow. Tonight, I intend to lay here in my tent and listen to the Loons while I drift off to sleep. I'm safe, warm, and dry. Goodnight from the Appalachian Trail.
Date: 2017-07-30
From: Pierce Pond Lean-To

To: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-To
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: few clouds

136.5 miles to go!Tonight, I'm camped near the Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to after an 18.7 mile day. It was a very full and interesting day.We started this morning at 7 am by walking the 0.3 miles from our campsite to Tim Harrison's Hunting and Fishing Camp where we enjoyed his "Patriotic Pancakes" (pancakes with red raspberries, blueberries, or white apples cooked right in), eggs, sausages, juice, and coffee. After breakfast we made our way down the trail about 4 miles to the Kennebec River where we waited in line for more than an hour to catch our canoe ride across the water. This is the only section of the entire AT that you do not walk. There is even a white blaze painted on the bottom of the canoe making it part of the official AT route.After our canoe ride we continued on to the Caratunk Hostel where we completed our resupply and had lunch consisting of pulled pork sandwiches and chocolate shake. The food was delicious and in less than an hour we were back on the trail.  It was after 1 pm and we had more than 14 miles to go for the day. A couple of hours later, we arrived at the top of the mountain where fresh, ripe, blueberries were growing all around us. We couldn't help ourselves so we stopped to eat several handfuls of the blueberries and rest a bit.  After a few mins, we met a local who was hiking in the area. The day was beautiful and we could see for miles and he was kind enough to point out Katahdin to us. I was barely visible almost 100 miles off in the distance...our first look at the mountain.After the local left us and we were preparing to continue on, several of our young friends caught up to us and we were able to point out our destination to them. Emotions were thick, fist bumps were passed around, and most of them made phone calls to friends and family to tell them they had "seen the mountain." It was fun to watch!We finally got back on the trail and arrived at our campsite around 7:30 pm. It's now long after Hiker¢s Midnight. I've had my dinner and I'm in my tent for the night. I'm excited about tomorrow but for tonight, I'm safe, warm, and dry. Goodnight from the Appalachian Trail.
Date: 2017-07-31
From: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-To

To: Shaw's Hostel, Monson, ME
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: clear sky

117.8 miles remaining!Our plan today was to only hike 13 miles. This would leave us with 11 miles to hike to Monson tomorrow. We¢ve been pretty tired and 24 miles today would just be too much for us right now. But when we arrived at our shelter, it was only 2:15 and too early to quit for the day. We knew they were calling for afternoon thunderstorms but the sky was still clear. As we were discussing our options, a SOBO mentioned we could catch a shuttle from a different road crossing and parking lot only 5 miles away. We quickly decided to make a run for it. We were less than a mile from our destination when the thunderstorm rolled in and soaked us.  We ended up completing 18.7 miles today.We were able to contact the hostel from the parking lot and the shuttle arrived within 10 mins. We quickly checked in, showered, and made a quick trip to the local gas station/pizza place for dinner. It was surprisingly good...of course, the cold beer certainly didn't hurt either.Tomorrow, we plan to catch a ride back out to where we were picked up and hike the remaining 4 miles to the original pick-up location. Then, we will return to the hostel for a Nero and a Zero!  Honestly, I'm looking forward to the break before we enter the 100 Mile Wilderness. I'm also looking forward to my new shoes that should be here waiting for me.Tonight, I'm safe, warm, dry, and clean at Shaw's Hostel in Monson, Maine. Goodnight from the Appalachian Trail.
Date: 2017-08-01
From: Shaw's Hostel, Monson, ME

To: Shaw's Hostel, Monson, ME
Miles today: 0.0

It was a very relaxing day! Today, I accomplished almost nothing other than eat, drink, and sleep. I did pick up my new boots and my resupply box but other than that...almost nothing. It was exactly what I needed.Tomorrow, I have a 4-mile hike. We actually jumped off the trail yesterday at an earlier road crossing than most people do in the attempt to miss a thunderstorm. We we're still caught in the storm, but not nearly to the extent we would have been. Today was supposed to be our Nero into town and tomorrow was supposed to our Zero but we decided to switch them around.Monson has turned out to be a nice place to stop. Shaw's is a nice hostel but we also visited the Lakeshore House (for lunch and dinner) and it was nice too. The entire town is very hiker-friendly. If you ever stop by here, make sure to stop at "Pete's Place" for a shake.Tonight, I expect to be safe, warm, and dry but right this minute, I'm enjoying an ice cold hard cider. So, for tonight, goodnight from the Appalachian Trail.
Date: 2017-08-02
From: Shaw's Hostel, Monson, ME

To: Shaw's Hostel, Monson, ME
Miles today: 4.0

It was another nice, relaxing day. We only hiked about 4 miles. Today was supposed to be a Zero and yesterday a Nero, but we reversed them. I did manage to find some nice, ripe blueberries along the way.Tomorrow, we're back on the trail again. The plan is to hike the for 15 miles of the 100 Mile Wilderness. We're hoping to make it through in 6 days, well, at least we're only carrying six days-worth of food. I guess if it takes longer than that, we will get a little hungry. Or, maybe, there will be more berries to eat.After our short hike today, I managed to squeeze in a short three or so hour nap. I don't think it will affect my sleep tonight though because I just can't seem to get enough sleep. After I'm through with the hike, I'm hoping to do nothing but rest for at least a week.Tomorrow starts the final leg of my adventure. I will write a post each day but I¢ve been told phone reception is very limited. I'll do my best but there might be a couple of days between each post.Tonight, I'm safe, warm, and dry and excited about tomorrow. Goodnight from the Appalachian Trail.
Date: 2017-08-03
From: Shaw's Hostel, Monson, ME

To: Long Pond Stream Lean-To
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Pa John, Spass, and I entered the 100 Mile Wilderness today and completed just over 15 miles. We were at our shelter by 4 pm, just seconds before the sky opened up. We were accompanied by thunder and lightning for the last five miles and I was sure we were going to get soaked before we arrived. So far, the ¢100 Mile Wilderness" looks like the rest of the trail. We crossed a couple of small gravel and/or dirt roads today and crossed one railroad track. We even came across two young women with their 3- and 5-year olds day hiking. But, I suspect we will see less and less evidence of civilization as we proceed.We are planning on taking 6 days to get through the wilderness. I believe we could do it in 5 but our flights home aren't until the 11th and 12th so there is no need to arrive any earlier.As I lay here in the shelter writing this post, I can still hear the thunder off in the distance. They are calling for rain the next two days but tonight, I'm safe, warm, and dry. Goodnight from the Appalachian Trail.
Date: 2017-08-04
From: Long Pond Stream Lean-To

To: Stealth Camp Site in the 100 Mile WIlderness
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: scattered clouds

84.2 miles to go. 15.2 miles today.It was a rough day! Maine is beautiful but so far it has not been easy. Tomorrow promises to be repeat of today... hopefully with a couple of exceptions. Today, rain made the roots and the rocks very slick and although I was trying hard to be careful, I fell three times. I twisted my knee on the first fall. It's sore but I think it will be fine. On the second fall, I landed on my hands. My palms are bruised but again, but I think I'll be fine. The third time I fell, I jammed my index finger on my left hand. It's currently very stiff and sore, making it difficult to grasp my hiking pole. I'll have to see how it is in the morning. Typically, for me a jammed finger lasts about 3-4 days. I should be okay by the time I climb Katahdin.Today, we hiked 15.2 miles. It doesn't sound like much but the terrain was tough. Even though we only climbed one hill in excess of 2,000 ft, we must have climbed at least 5 more that were at least 500 ft climbs. Also, at least two of these climbs were rock scrambles requiring both hands and feet to ascend and/or descend. Tomorrow, we have one climb in excess of 3,000 ft.It seems that all us NOBOs are wearing down. In my little group, Pa John is having knee problems, Spass is limping from problems with his feet, and my toes continue to plague me. Our equipment is wearing out just about as fast as we are. Pa John's collapsible cup came apart this morning, Spass is concerned about the number of holes in his shirt and tent, and my pack is slowly coming apart. I also had to replace my shoes for the fifth time while I was in Monson. I might have made it to the end with the pair I had but several of the lugs on the soles were torn away and the entire sole was starting to detach on the right shoe.We had rain again today but this time we didn't make it to the campsite before it started. Everything got a little wet during set up too but I managed to dry most of it before settling in for the night. We are camping near a stream crossing and since my clothes were wet anyway, I washed them (and me too) in the stream. The water is a little cold but it felt great to get the grime off. Tonight, I'm settled in my tent. The rain has stopped for now and hopefully (but I don't expect it) we¢ve seen the last of it. I'm safe, warm, and dry. Goodnight from the Appalachian Trail.
Date: 2017-08-05
From: Stealth Camp Site in the 100 Mile WIlderness

To: East Branch Lean-To
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: overcast clouds

67.8 miles to go. After getting rained on last night trying to get to my campsite, the rest of the evening turned out nice. We camped on the south side of a river and, after getting water for dinner and today, I took some time to wash out my clothes and then lay them on a flat rock in the sun to dry. After washing up, I carried my wet clothes back to camp and hung them on a line I stretched between two trees. At about 10 pm, I checked on my clothes and they were almost dry so I brought them into my tent where they finished drying overnight. It didn't rain anymore overnight, so I was able to tear down and pack everything while it was dry this morning. We forded the river and began almost an entire day of uphill climbing. To make it even tougher on us, the wind began to blow and it began raining again soon after we crossed the river. The wind and rain continued through most of the day and increased in intensity until we reached the top of White Cap Mountain. At the peak, around 3,650 feet, the wind was strong enough to make walking difficult. It was cold and blowing rain. This is considered an excellent location to view Mount Katahdin which is about 60 miles away, but there was no view today so we didn't tarry long. Just a few minutes after passing over the top, the rain stopped, the wind died down, and the sun popped out from behind the clouds. It was a very welcome sight.We arrived at out out shelter for the night at around 5 pm after hiking a total of 16.4 miles today. According to everyone we've talked to, the trail should be easier tomorrow and the rain is supposed to be gone for at least a day. We are going to try to go at least 19 miles.Tonight, I'm safe, warm, and dry in my tent near East Branch Lean-to. The mosquitoes outside are fierce but they can't reach me in here. The wind is softly blowing and the temperature feels to be in the low 50s. It should be perfect sleeping weather. Goodnight from the Appalachian Trail.
Date: 2017-08-06
From: East Branch Lean-To

To: Potaywadjo Spring Lean-To
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: overcast clouds

48.3 miles to go!  I spoke too soon in last night's post. Just minutes after I hit the send button on my post, it started to rain. I don't think it ever stopped during the entire night. Sometimes it came down gently. Other times, it came down torrentially, accompanied by blindingly bright flashes of lightning followed way to closely by tremendous rips of thunder. If there had been any place to go, I would have gone there quickly. But like humans have done since the dawn of mankind, all I could do was huddle there and pray to the ¢Sky Gods¢ to have mercy on us.Last night was also only the second time on the entire hike where my tent flooded. I woke up this morning with a puddle in my tent and the edge of my sleeping bag wet...not good at all with a down sleeping bag. Pa John sleeps in a hammock, so he was fine, but Spass ended up flooded as well. We spent more than an hour and a half drying gear in the sun on a gravel road this morning. As I type, I can't help but notice that my sleeping bag still feels damp.Even with drying the gear, we were still able to knock out 19.5 miles today. The (more) level terrain has certainly been an improvement. Tomorrow should be more of the same although there is one 1,000 foot climb. At this point, it's just another hurdle to get over...or as we say, "nothing but a thing.¢My hand is still sore from my fall a couple of days ago but it is already much better than it was. I think it will be fine by the time we reach Katahdin.  We are currently only 48.3 miles away from the summit and the end of our hike. We can almost see the finish line but we're not taking any chances so we are trying to be as careful as possible.Tonight, I'm safe, warm, and dry in my tent. Goodnight from the Appalachian Trail.
Date: 2017-08-07
From: Potaywadjo Spring Lean-To

To: Tenting at/near Rainbow Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: moderate rain

Only 30.5 miles left to go! Pa John, Spass, and I are planning on summiting Mt Katahdin on the 10th. They are calling for rain tomorrow but Wednesday and Thursday are supposed to be nice. We had several nice views of the mountain today from the trail. My photo tonight is of one of those views. Even though we were only 16 miles away as a crow flies, there was still nearly 40 miles of trail to hike.  Today, we managed to knock off another 18.2 miles. Tomorrow, we plan to do 15 more. From what we've been repeatedly told, much of it will be through ankle deep mud and hordes of mosquitoes (Gotta save the best till last, I always say).The 15 miles we hike tomorrow will bring us to Abol Bridge and out of the 100 Mile Wilderness. We plan on spending the night at either of the two campgrounds located there and eating in the restaurant. I can hardly wait! A cold beer and anything "not dehydrated" sounds great about now and the next "Moose Tracks" I hope to see will be the flavor of my ice cream.Wednesday, we plan to hike 9.9 miles to The Birches Lean-to and Campsite. Once there, we will camp if we can get one of the 12 available spots or hitch a ride into Millinocket for the night. If we have to go to town, we will catch a ride back to the park early Thursday morning (around 6 am) to make our climb. There is supposedly a limited number of people they allow to make the climb each day and it can take 10 hours or more to complete, so being there early is a must.Pa John's wife and my wife, Christine, are both arriving the afternoon/evening of the 9th. Luckily for us, they both already have hotel rooms and rental cars reserved. Staying the night in town would not be a bad thing but might slow us down on our start time on Thursday morning.  Staying in the campground guarantees an early start.Once we finish our descent on Thursday, we plan to drive straight to Portland. Spass needs to pick up a rental car and drive to Boston to catch his flight back to Seattle on the evening of the 11th. Christine and I will spend the 11th in Portland and fly back to San Antonio on the morning of the 12th. Before leaving this beautiful state, I'm really hoping to have a Maine Lobster and a local craft beer!Just thinking about that lobster has made me hungry but tonight I'm safe, warm, and dry in my tent only a few miles from Mt Katahdin. Goodnight from the Appalachian Trail.
Date: 2017-08-08
From: Tenting at/near Rainbow Stream Lean-to

To: Abol Bridge Campground
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: fog

I'm out of the 100 Mile Wilderness and camping tonight at Abol Bridge Campground! Just two days and approximately 15 miles to go!  Mt Katahdin is in sight!The 100 Mile Wilderness was an interesting place. Although we crossed several dirt and gravel roads, I didn't see a single vehicle. On the other hand, I heard aircraft almost constantly and saw one float plane taking off on a lake. So, even though there aren¢t any towns or places to stop (with the exception of White House Landing), civilization is almost always within hearing distance. It was a really good feeling to come out of the wilderness on the other side.I ate a bunch of wild blueberries over the past few days. They were delicious and everywhere. We even started dropping a handful of them in our water bottles for "Blueberry Infused Water". Fancy, huh?Funny thing, we've met quite a few SOBOs over the last few days. Almost without exception, they warn us about how bad the trail in front of us was going to be. The roots were thick, the mud was deep, the mosquitoes were fierce, etc. However, it never seemed as bad as they proclaimed it would be. It took me a little bit to realize they were only a week or less into their hikes and I have more than 160 days out here. The mud is the mud, the roots, rocks, and mosquitoes are just more of the same...I'm used to it. As we say now, "Nothing but another thing". I'm sure I sounded just like them back in February and early March when I was just starting out.Tonight, I'm safe, warm, and dry. I can see Mt Katahdin from my sleeping bag in my tent. Tomorrow, we will hike the 10 miles to the "Birches Campground" in Baxter State Park. We will summit the mountain on Thursday. This trip has been incredible, but tonight I will probably dream about my reunion with my wife and family. Goodnight from the Appalachian Trail.
Date: 2017-08-09
From: Abol Bridge Campground

To: The Birches Campground
Miles today: 10.0

My last night on the trail! Tomorrow we climb Katahdin! I'm almost too excited to sleep.Today, we hiked the 10 miles from Abol Bridge to The Birches Campground.  It is recommended at this time of year that you begin your climb before 11 am. We might have been able to do it today but that would have made a 20+ mile day and we would have been late starting the climb. It is safer if we wait and we don't want to hurry this last day of our 2,200-mile hike. Tomorrow morning, at about 6 am, we will start the 5.2 mile climb to the top. We¢ve been told that it takes most people between six and eight hours to make the climb. The weather is supposed to be partly cloudy tomorrow with a 40% chance of rain. If we get lucky and the rain holds off, I don't think we¢ll have any problem completing the climb and descending in that amount of time.We were lucky and got camping spaces at The Birches Campground tonight. There are only 12 slots and if they had already been taken we would have been forced to camp outside the park and find a way back early in the morning. Although we had worked out a couple of contingency backup plans, this is by far the best way it could have worked out for us.My picture tonight is of several of us sitting around our campfire discussing our plans for tomorrow and our experiences on the trail. Tonight and tomorrow will probably be the last time I will see most of these people and I have grown to know and like many of them very much over the last few months. I wish Beaker, Sitting Bull, Hoops, Ramsey Bolton, Ringer, and were with us but that is the nature of the trail and they will summit in the next few days. I wish them the best of luck and I hope they reach the top in beautiful clear weather.Tonight, I'm safe, warm, and dry in my tent at The Birches Campground in Baxter State Park. For my last time, goodnight "from" the Appalachian Trail.
Date: 2017-03-25
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

So, I just opened this account on Trail Journals. I plan to head north from Harpers Ferry, WV next week and see how far I get. I've been "training" since January, when I switched from a "runners" training program of about 70 miles a month to a hiker's program in which I've been walking with an incrementally heavier training backpack (now 35 lbs) for varied but generally incrementally longer distances about every other day. My longest so far has been about 18 miles which happened to be the day of a local snow storm, so it was a good check-ride for my rain and cold weather gear. Additionally, it was a mixture of ground conditions, from uneven dirt covered with snow and ice to damp pavement. I've also been doing some indoor inclined-treadmill workouts and a variety of other exercises recommended by other hikers.I've got about 95% of my gear, but I just got a new backpack and tarp yesterday, so over the next couple days I'll be finalizing the initial configuration of both and practicing a setup/tear-down routine. I also intend to get in a couple more long-hike days and over-nighters before starting out on the trail.