morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-09-17
From: Moxie Bald Lean-to

To: Monson, ME
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: clear sky

9/17/2015 Day 169 - I woke up in the middle of the night last night and the beaver I saw yesterday was chewing on a stick right beside my tent. I made some noise and he eventually left. Gray Goat and I packed up, ate breakfast and hit the trail at around 7 am. Here in Maine they have the privies right next to the trail near the campsites, which I've found to be quite convenient, especially when leaving the campsite in the morning.We wanted to get to Monson, 17.9 miles always, by 5 or 6 pm so we stepped it out a bit in case we had any surprises with the terrain. The elevation profile looked good, but you never know.We only saw a few other hikers on the trail, which surprised me because the bubble we were in was pretty big. Mac Daddy passed us, as well as a couple of hikers at the campsite last night, to include someone I've never met before, Special Agent. He's a flip-flopper who is northbound to Katahdin, then will finish up the southern states. The hike was nice today, with good terrain and warm, humid weather. We forded two rivers that were only knee deep. Some people have different shoes to ford, others just charge on through with what they have. I went barefoot because these were shallow, but if I encounter any deeper fords, I'll just wear my hiking shoes and walk them dry.We reached the trailhead at ME 15 and were immediately asked by an older couple if we wanted a ride to town. Nice people. They dropped us off at the Lakeshore Inn where we were greeted by the owner, Rebecca, who is a real nice lady. They have a restaurant and a pub here as well where I had a big dinner and a couple of beers, making an already good day that much better.I'll zero tomorrow and head out for my final stretch, the 100 Mile Wilderness, on Saturday. In another week or so I'll be done. I'm looking forward to finishing, but I'm not sure how I'll feel when I do.
Date: 2015-09-19
From: Monson, ME

To: Long Pond Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: broken clouds

9/19/2015 Day 170 - Sidewinder, Gray Goat, Special Agent and I went to Pete's Place next to the hostel and ate breakfast. Gray Goat and I went over at 6 am but they weren't open yet, but Pete said they would take our orders and have it ready to serve when they opened at 7. We went back to the hostel and were sitting around drinking coffee when Pete's wife came over to the hostel at 6:30 and told us our breakfast would be ready in a few minutes. What good people. We all ordered the 100 mile breakfast and none of us could finish it. So much food.We got a ride to the trailhead from Thomas, the caretaker, and were on the trail by 7:40 or so. We hiked to the Long Pond Stream Lean-to around 15 mile in. It took us over 10 hours to get there because of some moderately rugged terrain that slowed us down. We're sharing the shelter with Picaso and 2 section hikers. The wind is picking up and I expect a little rain tonight. Feels good to be on the trail.
Date: 2015-09-20
From: Long Pond Stream Lean-to

To: Campsite near West Branch Pleasant River
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: overcast clouds

9/20/2012 Day 171 - It was raining when I woke at around 4:30 am. I was nice and dry in the shelter so I just laid there until 5:30 when it started to get light out. There's so much less daylight now and it's more noticeable when you're on the trail and rely on it. I ate and finished packing up about the same time Gray Goat did. We got on the trail and were hiking by 7 am. We climbed Barren Mountain in the morning and several smaller mountains throughout the day. The going was a little slow in some spots because of rocks, roots and mud, but nothing too bad. About 4 miles before we got to the campsite Gray Goat said that his toes were hurting and hiked through the pain until he got to the campsite. It turned out he ripped a hole in his liner sock and it was cutting off circulation. Hopefully he'll be good to hike in the morning. The forest was beautiful today, as usual, and we bumped into several hikers as they passed us to include Mac Daddy and Dirty Peanut. We got to the campsite which is just south of the West Branch Pleasant River just before dark. It's a good spot but we were the only 2 there. I hiked 15.2 miles today.
Date: 2015-09-21
From: Campsite near West Branch Pleasant River

To: Logan Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: overcast clouds

0/21/2015 Day 172 - I woke up a little late, about 6 am, and it was cold out. Someone said it got down to 35 degrees. My sleeping bag kept me nice and warm though. We got going around 7:20 and forded Pleasant River barefoot shortly thereafter. I expect it was quite a funny site watching 2 middle age men grumbling the whole way about cold water and sharp rocks.Regular Goat passed us after the river and we didn't see anyone the rest of the day until we hit the Lean-to. We crossed the last significant mountains, to include White Cap Mountain, before Katahdin. The weather warmed up to the mid 60s and the trails were great. Thanks MATC. We stopped at Logan Brook Lean-to just a little before 5 pm where we me Romeo and another gentleman who was hiking for 30 day from Katahdin south. A ridge runner named Moxie, and English Bob arrived a little later. Both cool people. Romeo built a nice fire and we all talked about the trail. I hiked 12.8 miles today.
Date: 2015-09-22
From: Logan Brook Lean-to

To: Antler Campsite
Miles today: 19.6

9/22/2015 Day 173 - Gray Goat and I headed out at 7 am and kept a good pace throughout the day. I'm better on the hills, but Goat steps it out on the flat sections. We had a lot of flat, easy trail today with just a couple of small hills/mountains to slow us down a little. The forest was beautiful and the weather was great. It stayed cool, but not cold, making for perfect hiking weather. Yesterday we saw Katahdin in the distance and that is a pretty big mountain. I did a little rough planning and I figure we'll summit on Saturday, only 4 days away. We saw several section hikers, and a few day hikers, but English Bob was the only thru hiker who passed us. We stopped at Antler Campsite which is located next to Jo-Mary Lake. The view across the lake at sunset was simply beautiful. I hiked 19.6 miles today.
Date: 2015-09-23
From: Antler Campsite

To: Stealth Site near Crescent Pond
Miles today: 17.6

9/23/2015 Day 174 - Today was another beautiful day in the 100 mile wilderness. I got up before dawn and stood by Jo-Mary Lake, a short distance from my campsite, and enjoyed the sunrise. I was hoping to see a moose by the water but the lake was enough to see all by itself. The oranges and yellows of the predawn sky were a sight to see. Gray Goat and I hoped to hike 22 miles today to make tomorrow easier to get to Abol Bridge, but we are getting a little tired and encountered a lot of roots and rocks that slowed us down. We saw a lot of section hikers, many of which I expect will be summiting Katahdin in the next few days as well. We saw English Bob a few times today, but no one else we know. Gray Goat did ask a couple if they were summiting Katahdin and they said they were going to on Saturday. There are limited spaces at the campsite at the base of Katahdin and you have to sign up on a list to get a spot just north of Abol Bridge. Hopefully we'll get there tomorrow night, but if not, then early Friday morning. We're camped at mile 2155.1, about 0.3 miles from the west end of Crescent Pond. Another good day of hiking. I hiked 17.6 miles today.
Date: 2015-09-24
From: Stealth Site near Crescent Pond

To: Abol Bridge Campground
Miles today: 19.1

9/24/2015 Day 175 - We left our stealth site at about 6:40 am. I heard a lot of loons last night, they can have eerie sounding calls at times and often sound like other animals. We hiked pretty hard and encountered some rough trail at times, but it was fairly flat for most of the day so the going was good. We stopped and ate lunch on a large rock just off the edge of a large lake. We saw Fox just after lunch, and he's going to summit on Saturday as well. The rest of the day was cool and comfortable making for some nice hiking.We got to the Abol Bridge Campground at around 5:30 pm and got a site to pitch our tents. We had a very good meal and a beer at the diner. We met a young lady named Rocky Mountain High who submitted a few days ago and is now the waitress at the diner. Funny how that works out. The camping situation at the base of Katahdin is tenuous at best, so Gray Goat and I will be leaving very early in hopes of getting a good spot at the Birches Campsite. It's not big enough for the current amount of hikers and some people have been forced to come all the way back to this campground. I hiked 19 miles today. Only 2 more days.
Date: 2015-09-25
From: Abol Bridge Campground

To: The Birches Campsite at Baxter
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: overcast clouds

9/25/2015 Day 176 - I woke up at 3:30 am and while moving around gray Goat ask from his nearby tent if I was up. We packed up and were on the trail a little after 4:30 am. We were concerned that we wouldn't be able to get one of the 12 spots at the Birches campground in Baxter State Park. It's the last place where thru hikers spend the night before their final summit on Mount Katahdin. We hiked the 10 miles there in about 5 hours and got there by 9:30 am. We were the first there and our worries seemed to be unfounded. We were joined later in the day by English Bob, Old School, and Regular Goat by about 2 pm. At about 3 pm, two ladies brought a couple of roasted chickens to the camp. One of them said she hiked the trail a few years ago and liked to bring a little trail magic when she visits the park. We went to the ranger station at 4 pm to pay for the site because they have odd office hours. We saw other hikers who just finished the mountain and the trail who were waiting for a ride. I was given a thru hiker finish number of 742. They were nearly glowing because they just finished. We're now sitting around the campfire with Steel Foot and Peaches talking about other people we met on the trail. We'll get up early and hike the 5.2 miles to the summit. Our last day on the trail.
Date: 2015-02-03
To: Getting started
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Not sure how this will work. I'm an old timer and not good when it comes to using computers, but since family and friends want a way to follow my hike, I will give it a shot. I am a retired Ultra runner and getting too old to meet the cut offs and am looking for a new goal. Hiking 2,189 miles will certainly be a worthy one.
Date: 2015-02-04
To: A cold workout
Miles today: 0.0

Did a 4 to 5 mile snowshoe with 35# pack early this morning. It is not that far, but in 16" or so of snow it gave me all I wanted. I left trailhead at 3 degrees which wasn't to bad till the wind picked up shortly after daybreak. On the bright side, the bugs weren't too bad.I have been alternating snowshoeing with my pack one day and cross country skiing the next; This seems to be working. Getting a little nervous for my mid March start, but know once I hit the trail things will settle in.
Date: 2015-02-05
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

38 days to my departure from Springer Mountain. I have not yet starting getting things together yet, but should do so in the not to distance future. I put this off as long as I can since I know from past experience with ultra length trail races this is when the nerves go into overdrive. Look to carry a pack wt. of about 32 to 35 lbs. with water and food.Plane and hiker hostel reservations are made so all set there. When my wife was at the computer making one-way plane reservations to Atlanta I think she had the biggest smile on her face in 46 years of marriage. Actually her and the entire family have been very supportive as they have been in all my crazy adventures. Even had some trail magic from friends in our Silent Sports group already in the form of equipment.   Will miss the wife and family, but looking forward to the start of my AT adventure.
Date: 2015-02-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Papa Al has entered the Hi-tech world. Last week I broke down and bought a Smartphone. If you bare with me I will tell you how far back I go with phones.When I was a kid wet behind the years (about ten), I would pick up the phone and get our one lone operator in town. She had the switch board set up in her home. (Shades of Mayberry) I would ask her to speak to my father who was postmaster of our small town of about 2,000. With out any names being mentioned--not mine nor my fathers--she would put me through to him. Fast forward 58 years to today. While I was doing a seven mile snowshoe hike with my new friend the back pack, my new phone rang and it was my daughter on face time. She phoned to tell me my granddaughter had just went potty for the first time on the toilet. I fought the smart phone for quite some time, but it was great getting such big news in a timely fashion, hope it works that well for my hike on the AT.
Date: 2015-02-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Papa Al's thought for the day: Two things you can't have enough of, grandkids and firewood.Spent Sunday afternoon getting everything ready and in my pack. Wt. should run between 33 to 35#. Now a question for you people out there that have been through this. Should I ship or take my pack on the plane? I will be flying non-stop from Milwaukee to Atlanta and staying at the Hiker hostel. If I fly it would put it in a old duffel, but I'm afraid of security rifling thru and messing things up. Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Date: 2015-02-12
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Frigid weather continues here in Northern Wisconsin, training as come to a standstill, but at least I can walk on water.25 more days getting antsy, excited and tired of reading about the AT. I do not look forward to leaving my bride of 46 years and the rest of the family, but it's time to get this thing going.Decided to ship my pack to the hiker hostel, just don't have enough faith in the airlines. Also decided for now to just have one drop box at Fontana dam before the Smokies, like to keep my logistics as simple as possible.Good luck to all you hikers out there and think warm thoughts.
Date: 2015-02-13
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Another frigid morning in the north woods. Thought I would get a hike in before church, but decided to tuff it out on my electric, heated lazy boy.This is my first entry from my new smart phone. So far this smart phone as just made me feel a bit stupid, but given time I will learn. Got my new Anker battery pack and looks like I will get about five or charges out of it. Little on the heavy side so we will see if it is worth. Being able to stay in touch with wife and family will help get me to Maine. Weighs in at about 12oz. Good luck to all those brave souls already on the trail with the brutal winter conditions.
Date: 2015-03-02
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I have to apologize for blank post yesterday. Finding out that a smart phone can't fix stupid. If my photo goes thru you will see I decided to pitch my tent between lazy boy and TV. That way for the next six months I will be able to watch YouTube videos of actual thru hikers in climate controlled comfort.Really testing and checking everything out before I Fedex my pack to the hiker hostel. Hopefully it will get there by the time I arrive on the 15 of March.Headed north this weekend to say good bye to my two grandchildren up in Bayfield County. I will miss their activities, soccer, volleyball, recitals etc,but hoping they can come out and hike a bit with me.As they say "the hey is in the barn" time to relax and await the start of Papa Al's great adventure.
Date: 2015-03-04
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Monday morning everything was packed and ready to go "hey was in the barn" time to relax, will ship pack Tuesday morning. Tuesday contents of pack are laid on the bed to be checked one more time and did get rid of a bit of weight. Wed. morning and the pack is definitely going to FedEx where it will be shipped to the Hiker Hostel. Yes you can bet on it.Sent the picture to my oldest son who hhas quiet of bit of experience backpacking to see what he thought. Well he said the bed might be bit heavy to carry. He knows darn well I will be sleeping with Big Agnes, everyone is a comic now days.12 days and counting.
Date: 2015-03-04
To: Backpack is on the way
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Monday morning I had everything in my pack ready to ship, "The hay was in the barn"; so it was time to relax. Tuesday morning everything back on bed to be checked one more time. I did get rid of a bit of weight. On Wednesday morning, my pack is packed and ready to go by way of Fedex to the hiker hostel. You can bet on it....Sent a picture to my oldest son who has quite a bit of experience to see what his thoughts were. He thought the bed would be a little too heavy and knows darn well I will be sleeping with Big Agnes. Everyone is a comic now days.12 days and counting.
Date: 2015-03-06
To: Big Al/Lil Al Get R Done
Miles today: 0.0

Granddaughter Alise (aka Lil Al) has had enough of watching papa Al pack and unpack. So she decided to help grandpa send it off. Hopefully it will be at the hiker hostel on March 15.Yesterday started out at -20; so waited until it hit 10 degrees. I then snowshoed about seven miles to enjoya beautiful northern Wisconsin day. This is one of the reasons I don't head south like a lot of oldsters do for the winter.10 days to go
Date: 2015-03-07
To: Trail Name
Miles today: 0.0

The young man you see in the picture is my great grandson Aden Johnson aka Lil Bud who has been a great blessing to this old man. He was 10 months old when I starting baby sitting three to four days a week until he started school this year. He is where the trail name papa Al comes from. He is unhappy I'm leaving, but I told him I would be back for hunting season and he seems happy with that.So a big shout to all the other great grandpas that will be hiking this year???Nine days and counting.
Date: 2015-03-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Arrived at hiker hostel after a very nice flight from Milwaukee. Saying good bye to my bride of 46 years was very hard. I owe her a lot she as always been behind all my extreme ideas. Weather is about 70 with sun, will be shuttled to Springer in morning and start my journey North.Thanks again for all the well wishes and prayers. I will try to post when I can.Papa Al
Date: 2015-03-19
From: Lance Creek

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: clear sky

Lance Crick to Neels Gap was a hard hike over Blood Mt. in pouring cold rain. Left camp at 6:02 and arrived here at 10:21. Quite a push for my old legs, almost like old times except for pack on my back. Staying at Blood Mt. Cabins with Conductor. Shower was priceless and more trail magic from church group. God bless them.
Date: 2015-03-22
From:  Blue Mtn. Shelter

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Started out at 6:36 a.m. and hiked with a headlight for the first 45 minutes or so. Long climb down Blue Mountain; then a long hard hump over Rocky Mountain to Indian Grave Gap where some college kids had trail magic. What a treat! God Bless them. Then continued the climb up Tray Mountain to the shelter. Pitched my tent and shortly after it started raining. Timing is everything. Shortly after Sputnik and Fair Minded showed up. They had an orange they had carried over two mountains for Conductor and Papa Al--more trail magic. Presently hunkered down in my tent due to rain; but have a full stomach and dry sleeping bag for which I am thankful.
Date: 2015-03-23
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Dick's Creek
Miles today: 11.0

Left Tray Mountain at 7:30 A.M. Rained all night; high winds, but rain quit at daybreak .   With tent and stuff wet; it was a rough and heavy hump over a difficult climb. Spending two nights at Top of Georgia Hostel.   Will go into Hiwassee tomorrow and resupply and dry out equipment. First zero day. Lost eight pounds since March 16. Should be arriving Wednesday morning in North Carolina by noon.
Date: 2015-03-24
From: Dick's Creek

To: Hiwassee, Georgia
Miles today: 0.0

Day of rest to heal this old bag of bones.   Took schuttle into town for a cheeseburger and resupply. Have enough to get thru to NOC (6 days). This should put me at Fontana Dam about 3rd of April where I will meet up with my daughter and niece. Still hiking with the Conductor who is a 2006 thru hiker who has been a good friend and lots of help. This first week has been a real learning experience. Thank you Lord for the support crew I have back home.
Date: 2015-03-25
From: Dick's Creek

To: White Oak Stamp Stealth
Miles today: 12.6

The climb out of Dicks Creek Gap was long and hard. I didn't think it would ever end, but they always do.Stopped at Plum Orchard Gap Shelter for a quick lunch. From there another long climb to the GA/NC border at mile 78.5; a milestone reached. However, once in North Carolina, the hills just keep coming. I believe the Georgia hills were just getting us ready for here. Got to Muskrat Creek Shelter about 4:00; but decided to fill our water up and head to the stealth site up the trail about one mile.
Date: 2015-03-26
From: White Oak Stamp Stealth

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Left campsite about 8:00. Once again packed up wet tent so pack was heavy. Day was damp and foggy. The climb over Standing Indian Mountain was long-but gradual. So not too bad.Ate my Ramen noodles and am in my tent by six o'clock. Tomorrow will be a short but hard day if the weather gets as cold as predicted. Conductor and I may pull off trail and head into Franklin Saturday Night.
Date: 2015-03-27
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Left Carter Gap at 8:00 with fog and a light rain. Fairly easy going until we started the long haul up the notorious Albert Mountain. For the first mile or two, it was a huff and puff along a steep climb along a cliff. Then the last part was using hand to pull ourselves up over the rocks. When we reached the summit it was very foggy so we missed some great views.We had planned a little over 8 miles today; but felt good and pushed for 12. Tomorrow will be a Nero with four miles into Franklin North Carolina for showers and laundry. Very cold tonight; but snug as a bug in my bag.Legs are getting stronger each day; but the mental aspect of this is hard as I expected it would be. At the fire tonight I reviewed instructions from a professional cheesemaker on how to make a proper grilled cheese cooking in in olive oil.
Date: 2015-03-28
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap , US 4
Miles today: 3.8

A nero day is one with low mileage. We broke camp about 6:30 with the Conductor rousing me out of my sack, saying if we wanted to catch the nine o'clock shuttle we had better get going.The Conductor's wife made reservations for us in Franklin NC a couple of days ago after looking at some very cold weather coming in. Wise decision, since last night it got down to 18 degrees and we woke up to 1/2 inch of snow. Now this isn't too bad of weather if I'm home in Northern Wisconsin with the wood boiler going and snuggled up to my Bride. Out here in a tent it's a bit cool. My 15 degree bag came thru it just fine with the addition to wearing most of the clothes I have. I rolled my tent up in one bunch; ground, clothes, and all. When I unpacked at the motel snow fell out of it.Trail magic breakfast at US 64 was great. Wonderful folks who I could never thank enough.Will return to the trail tomorrow morning and hope to be in NOC in three days and then on to Fontana Dam where I will meet my daughter and niece for a couple of days. That will be a very nice treat for this old fella.Old body seem to be up to the task. Mentally my mind dwells on home and family. What really helps is the fact that my wife has a remodeling and paint project going at home and I don't want to be a part of that!I will try to download some photos; so if you wish you can click on photos on left sidebar. Also all comments and prayers gratefully accepted.