morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-09-07
From: Osgood Tent Site 1867.9

To: Carter Dome Stealth 1879.7
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: moderate rain

It got cold last night so I tried something different. It was not supposed to rain so I didn¢t steak out my rain fly I just let it drape over the tent. This did not allow the cold air to circulate into the tent. The top 2/3 of the tent is screened and when I steak out the rain fly it comes to about 6 inches off the ground allowing air to circulate under it. I felt as though I was warmer last night. It wasn¢t windy and it didn¢t rain. So we came up 5 miles short of town yesterday. I have to get to town today. This is what I have left: 1-Ramen meal, 1-Clif bar, 1-Snickers bar, 2-Breakfast Essentials, 5-Instant coffees. So, for breakfast I had 2 coffees, 2 breakfast essentials, and 1 Snickers bar?. Then 4.7 into town/Pinkham Notch. I had a package waiting for me which included a full rain suit, an Under Armor long sleeve, and a nice note from Seaneen ? We charged phones, got some lunch, resupplied and I took a shower. We saw willow there and met her grandfather. We headed out and had a rough climb but we ran into a hiker neither of had seen in a while, Schlep Rock, he flip flopped. We were walking along one of the peaks and kept hearing beeping. When we rounded the corner we saw s chairlift for Wildcat ski resort. They charge you $8.50/one way to ride the gondola. That¢s $17 just to buy a beer, no thanks. There was a wedding at the top of the ski hill getting prepared to start. We kept moving and got to Carter Hut. They were out of pastries and coffee but, I got a soup and made instant decaf. It was getting late in the day and we had a brutal climb up Carter Dome. Only 1.2 miles but 1500 feet of elevation at 21% grade. It wasn¢t that bad and I found awesome stealth right at the summit. We got set up and settled in right as it started lightly raining. I prepared my dinner in my tent and vestibule. Mr. president is set up close so we were conversing/yelling back and forth me in my tent, he in his hammock. I bought a sleeping bag liner. The liner is supposed to give me an extra 10-15 degrees of insulation. It feels good right now, we¢ll see at 230 when I usually get cold.
Date: 2019-09-08
From: Carter Dome Stealth 1879.7

To: 2 Libby Hostel 1893.7
Miles today: 14.0

It rained lightly on and off all night and is still kind of spitting now. Looking at the 10 day forecast this is the coldest low temperature. Also we are at 4800 ft which makes a difference. The wind wasn¢t bad but its going to be wet trails all the way to town, 14 miles. We are hiking to a hostel in Gorham NH. We will stay there, resupply, shower, and be warm and dry. I¢m glad I bought the sleeping bag liner because I believe it kept me warmer. We got on trail at 730. It was cloudy/foggy when we set out and as usual when its rainy everything is damp. I had on an underarmor long sleeve, a shot sleeve T, a long sleeve T, my puffy jacket & a rainproof windbreaker. On bottom I had underwear, shorts, hiking pants, and rain proof pants. I was wearing my stocking cap and gloves. I was mostly cold but as long as I kept moving I was warm. I came across another hiker who was wearing a short sleeve T shirt. I would have been freezing. I was moving pretty good and got ahead of Mr. President. I stopped to take a break and wait for him. A bird was flying back and forth so I threw some crumbs on the ground. It took about three minutes but the bird finally came close and got the crumbs. I got out in front again and came across a couple hiking SOBO. I chatted with them fir a while and they gave me a peppermint Lifesaver. A girl I used to work with always gave out those. I asked them to give Mr. President a hard time and to suck it up! I didn¢t think I was making good time in the rain and slop. There was a really steep section and it was wet and muddy. I went down most of it on my butt. Once I got over the final climb I started really moving. I got to the trailhead and saw Tumbledorf, Ridge Runner, and Riff Raff. I called my hostel for a ride and looked at my phone for the time. I had done 14 miles in 7 hrs. 15 mins. It felt good to be moving that fast again. I had woke up to a massive left calf cramp this morning. I can still feel it but it did not bother me all day.I got picked up in a 4 door white 1986 Cadillac Fleetwood. At the hostel I was getting the run down and another hiker offered me his Poutine. It really hit the spot. There are a bunch of great people at the hostel and the mood is positive. I was soaked and cold so I changed and hit the shower. I did my laundry and Mr. President made it in about 430. We did the Wal-Mart run and I bought too much food. I put some in the hiker box. We went to an Italian restaurant for dinner. It was awesome. After dinner we walked back and stopped for a six pack. It took me quite a while to organize my food bag and laundry. By the time I finished chores it was bed time. I have to be up early for breakfast as the return to trailhead shuttle leaves at 710.
Date: 2019-09-09
From: 2 Libby Hostel 1893.7

To: Carlo Col Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: broken clouds

I woke up at 530 because the restaurant down the street opened at 6 and the shuttle to the trail leaves at 710. I ate breakfast with four other hikers. Two NOBO and two SOBO. It was great they were talking about the history of the trail and about logging and conservation. I finished my breakfast and headed back to the hostel. We got a ride from the hostel to the trail head and got started. The day was going to be long at 17 miles. We have not done 17 in a while and there was almost 7000 ft of accent and 4300 ft of decent. We did well on the first climb as it was not to steep. I believe I am carrying the heaviest pack I have carried the whole trip. We don¢t get to another hostel until Friday. The weight was tiring me out. We took a break and laid out some things to dry. Rocket and Rooster caught up. After break I started hiking a little faster as I wanted to make it to camp before dark. We crossed the 1900 mile marker. On the walk today there were many mountain ponds to include Page Pond. The environment was ripe for a moose sighting but, no moose. Late in the day I crossed from New Hampshire to Maine. 13 states down 1 to go? The last mile from the border to the shelter was brutal steep, wet, muddy, rocky downhill. I made it to shelter at dark and walked down to get water. There was only a light trickle. It took me a while to fill three bottles as it was getting darker. I got a little lost on the way back in the dark but, I found the shelter. I made my dinner and warmed up in my sleeping bag.
Date: 2019-09-10
From: Carlo Col Shelter

To: Speck Pond Shelter
Miles today: 9.5

I tossed and turned a lot last night. There were two of us in the shelter, Phoenix and I. Phoenix is on a mission to finish by the 26th because her dad got a moose license this year and the season in only 6 days. I get a text from Mr. President, he stealthed south of where I was. That gave me a few extra minutes in the sleeping bag. I met him at the cut off to the trail. We hiked a couple nice mountains and I got turned around at one point and was hiking the wrong way. Luckily, Phoenix came along and I was only about an eighth of a mile in the wrong direction. Mr. President and I met up again atop the next mountain. I stepped on a boardwalk and it sank so I decided to jump to the next one and it sank too. Both feet got soaked with stinky swamp water. We made it to the next shelter to take a break and get ready for Mahoosuc Notch, described as: The most difficult or fun mile on the AT. The first thing I noticed is about 50 feet into the notch the temperature dropped 15-20 degrees. The Notch is basically a deep valley between two cliffs filled with large boulders you have to go over, under, or around. Hikers usually average less than 1 mph during this stretch. I did it in about an hour twenty. It was a lot of fun, and there was ice in a couple of crevices. I waited at the next campsite for Mr. President. We had one more big climb to finish the day. We were stopping short of our goal but it was a tough day. The shelter was full so I put up my tent on a platform. I ate a lasagna dinner and a ramen. Hiker hunger is in full force. I normally eat 3-4 Cliff type bars a day. I think I ate at least 8 today and a bunch of M&Ms.
Date: 2019-09-11
From: Speck Pond Shelter

To: Human Nature Hostel 1935.1
Miles today: 14.9

Today we shall ¢Never Forget!!¢ That is how I signed the log books today along with a drawing of the twin towers.I slept great last night. It was the first night in a long time I wasn¢t borderline cold. It rained most of the night very lightly and was raining as I was getting ready to pack. I was shooting for 17 miles today, there are some climbs but hopefully the terrain will be a little more forgiving. I was talking to Seaneen last night about the Katahdin summit date. there¢s about 20 days of hiking left, give or take a few days either way. Since I¢ve been back from vacation in July I¢ve been averaging 13.56 miles a day. At that pace I will summit on Monday the 30th. I¢m pretty sure I can do more miles than that the next 2 weeks. I talked to Seaneen later and we set the summit date for October 1st, the anniversary date of our first date back in 1998. We started out strong hiking today, and at 5 miles hit a parking lot at a trail head. We analyzed our day and decided on a hostel for the evening. We still had 10 miles to do and it was 1100 am. The 10 miles ended up not being too easy. We climbed for a while and took a break with Rocket, Rooster, and Executioner. There was still more climbing to do. We went over a mountain bald like no other we had. It was cloudy, rainy, windy, and slick! The wind had to have been gusting at 50+ mph, as it was blowing me off my gait. On the downhill I took off and reevaluated my pace. I wouldn¢t hit the road until after 6 pm. The hostel shuttle is at 430pm. Hostel dinner was served at 6pm. I caught the girls just before the road. They had suggested doing a 2 day stay at the hostel and slack packing 10 miles tomorrow. That¢s all I needed to hear. On trail, especially up here cell service has been spotty at best. I had to GPS Garmin message Seaneen to call the shuttle driver for us and the call the hostel and let them know we were still coming, and to not give our bunks away. We got the shuttle from the trailhead to the hostel, with a stop at the general store, beer and goodies. The hostel is way cool, a geodesic cabin owned by Ryan Holt a guy who was on Naked and Afraid (I¢ve never watched the show). Since we missed dinner I bought a frozen pizza and had a few beers with the other hikers. It¢s nice to hear most hikers at this point are excited to be near the end; apprehensive about what¢s to come; and cumulatively beat up but not broken from the trail Tomorrow is going to be chill.
Date: 2019-09-12
From: Human Nature Hostel 1935.1

To: Human Nature Hostel 1935.1
Miles today: 10.1

I got to bed late last night as we got in late. It was alright because I got a good meal and the hostel has great energy. I was worried when I got the tour because the bunk room was like an ice box. I got my sleeping bag. When I went to bed it was warm in the bunk room and got progressively hotter. I got up at 300 to pee and in the common area it was cool. I curled up on the couch out there and was able to fall back to sleep. Coffee brewed at 6 am and I grabbed a cup. The hostel makes pancakes starting at 630. They are as big as a plate and they have an AT symbol on them. I had mine with butter, berries, and syrup. We, 9 of us, packed into a Yukon and headed for the trailhead. We made a quick stop at the country store. We were slack packing 10 miles today. Mr. President hit the trail running. We stopped at mile 5 and had lunch at the shelter with about 10 other hikers. It¢s interesting what other hikers prepare. One guy was grilling peppers and ham making burritos. Another hiker had chunks of cheese and salami burritos. Others ate tuna packs or SPAM. The last 4 miles were less forgiving than the first six but it wasn¢t bad. We got to the trailhead 1 hour before pickup so we chilled and chatted with other hikers. We saw ALOT of moose poop on the trail and some moose tracks but no moose?. It seems like a pretty good bubble of hikers headed to Katahdin for end of month summit dates. Tonight is burger night at the hostel. Half pound build your own with pasta side. I keep forgetting to mention, I noticed yesterday the leaves are starting to change and color is coming into the views.
Date: 2019-09-13
From: Human Nature Hostel 1935.1

To: Sabbath Day Pond
Miles today: 17.0

I woke up again way to early and had to pee. I went to the bathroom and rather than try to get situated in bed again I laid on the couch. I inventoried my belongings and I could not find my blue shirt. This hostel does laundry weird. Anyway, I never found my blue shirt. I settled my bill and we got shuttled back to the trailhead. I told Mr. President I may take off today. I had a goal and I wanted to make 17 miles.At some point I got a message from a friend saying my friend Barb was not doing well. She had beaten cancer but, it was back. I received a text a few hours later saying she had died. I was glad I was alone in a way. I spent the rest of the day walking and crying off and on. Life is too short-seize all the moments and cherish them!I met Barb when I got hired at Bartlett PD in 1995. We were shift-mates and became friends. We were closer at some times than we were at others. Our birthdays were 3 days apart and we¢d celebrate together. She was one bad ass police officer. No-one gave her shit! I will miss her!RIP Barb Davis-Barrett??When I arrived at the shelter for the night I set up my tent and treated the bottom with waterproofing spray. While it was drying I went by the shelter and ate my dinner while talking to other hikers. One of the hikers had built and lit a fire. After dinner and completing setting up I went back by the fire where Rocket, Rooster and Executioner were roasting marshmallows.We had a few and then we all went to bed on Friday the 13th, at Sabbath Pond, on the night of a full moon???
Date: 2019-09-14
From: Sabbath Day Pond

To:  Eddy Pond-Stealth site
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: few clouds

I was not cold last night but it was chilly. It was cold enough in the morning I did not want to get moving. I was on trail a little after 700. I stopped to look at the pond and Mr. President came along. He did not make it as far as the shelter and woke up early to catch up. We hiked together for a bit and then I looked back and he wasn¢t there. I came across six hens on the trail. They were just doing their thing and didn¢t care much about me and barely got off of the trail. The day was overcast and it only rained lightly at times which required me to keep my rain gear on. It was chilly but not cold. I came across another hiker wearing just shorts and no shirt. I don¢t know how they do it. I later saw a hiker I¢ve been leapfrogging and he was dressed like he was ready to summit Everest. He had stopped to eat and had caught a chill.I stopped at a hostel close to the trail because they had limited resupply and I needed a couple of things. There resupply was really limited and I asked if they had anything to eat. She made me canned ravioli and meatballs which weren¢t half bad. I continued on and passed many beautiful ponds. I did not see any moose. I did see several rather large piles of moose poop. I decided to stealth camp near Eddy Pond. There were a few other hikers there. I met Giggles and Viking-the real Viking because she¢s from Iceland. It was early, just after 3 pm but I was done for the day. I did not want to walk over a mountain in the cold rain. I will do that tomorrow. I had two dinners and laid in my tent. I fell asleep pretty early. I was cold but not shivering. I sleep cold. Most nights, even during the warmer months, I get cold at some point. Tonight I took off all of my wet things and was sleeping in shorts, socks, a t-shirt, and my Frog Togg jacket. I ended up putting my Buff on my head and wrapped my puffy around me. I finally got warm. I woke up because someone had yelled. I don¢t know what they yelled, and it wasn¢t a scream. I got into my pack and grabbed my knife. I got out of my tent to pee and I did not hear or see anything. I got back in the tent thinking it was early morning, and it was 945pm. I have no idea what time I fell asleep but i think it was around 7 pm. Now I have to try to get back to sleep. Good news is I somehow got two bars of cell service and was able to talk to Seaneen ?.
Date: 2019-09-15
From: Eddy Pond Stealth Site

To: Spaulding Mtn. Lean-to
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

I woke up at 545. There was no sign of Giggles or the real Viking. I wonder what time they left? I walked down to the pond but did not see any moose. I got on trail by 715. About 100 yards in I came across an ATV trail. I looked up to see where the trail went beyond the ATV trail. There was s body lying across the AT trail at the ATV trail. I thought the guy was dead but he moved. I talked to him for a minute. He had come down from the mountain and ran out of daylight. This was the first flat spot he¢d found. So, he cowboy camped there under two blankets. Again I don¢t know how some people do it. I¢d be way too cold. There was a 4K foot mountain right out of the gate this morning then several more peaks along an open ridge line. It was very windy and gusty up there. I was getting blown around. It was semi clear and the views were great. As soon as I got below tree line and out of the wind it was hot. Pizza Steve and his woman companion passed me. I later learned they were trying to slack 30+miles but came to the conclusion they would come up short and they rearranged their plans.I met an old guy, Just Axe, who had flipped at Delaware Water Gap. I asked him a question about stealth camping in an area he¢d walked about 5 miles ago. He said, once it¢s behind him he forgets about it. I told him we should be friends. It warmed up enough for me to walk in shorts and a t shirt. On the way up to Lone Mountain I caught Giggles and Lady Viking. They were in and out so early to watch sunrise on the ridge. I started getting cold on the backside of the mountain during the 1.1 to the shelter. I got in, set up, and ate. I saw a lot of moose poop and moose tracks today but, no moose.
Date: 2019-09-16
From: Spaulding Mtn. Lean-to

To: ME 27-Hostel of Maine
Miles today: 13.5

I fell asleep just before normal time of 830 pm. I woke up feeling like I¢d slept for hours. I finally looked at the clock, it was 1045pm. I read for a little and finally fell back to sleep until 245am, then I was awake again. I did fall back to sleep before the alarm at 545am. I think maybe it¢s the brightness of the full moon. I got out of my tent and I saw Rocket at the shelter. Rooster and Executioner were there too. They said they saw a huge bull moose right before coming into camp last night.I got on trail right at 7 with Rocket and Rooster. I soon lost them and was making decent time. The climbs were not tough, just long. I went over 4 mountain tops. Two were just under 4K feet and the other two just over 4K feet. My legs were doing alright but I was just a little shy on food. I had coffee, Carnation Breakfast Essential, and a Snickers for breakfast. For the rest of the day I had 3 tuna packs and another Snickers. I finished with a tuna pack left.The hostel owner joked, no one ever comes in with a Snickers left. There were a couple of views today but they were just off trail and I did not take the extra steps. At one point I was walking downhill and the rocks were like railroad rocks mixed with bigger rocks. I was thinking, were these put here or were they natural? Of course they are....then I slipped and started falling forward. Funny how sometimes you fall and it¢s like bam you are on the ground before you know it. This fall happened fast but in slow motion. It was on a pretty steep downhill, I slipped then fell forward. I was Supermaning through the air falling to my right/or the right side of the trail. My face was headed for a 3 inch diameter pine. Now, along the trail the smaller pines have dead branches near the bottom because of lack of light. Then those dead branches get broken off and are like spikes sticking out from the tree. I was able to get my left hand up, grab the tree where there were no spikes. I turned my head and avoided hitting my shoulder on the tree. My right knee hit something on the way down. I took a minute to get up. I started walking again brushing myself off. No injuries, how I don¢t know. I made it to the last peak at noon. I had just over 5 miles to get to the road. The shuttle was at 1 o¢clock so I was going to miss that. I made it to the road just after 2. I got a shuttle to the hostel . The place is a beautiful log cabin. I showered, shaved and ate. The rest of the night I just chilled and chatted. At some point Camelback Santa arrived. He had slack packed today. I made arrangements to slack pack tomorrow and stay here again. No wildlife today. I did hit the 2000 mile marker today! Two weeks to Katahdin!!!!!!!!!
Date: 2019-09-17
From: East Flagstaff Rd

To: ME-27/Hostel of Maine
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: few clouds

I got dropped off at Flagstaff Rd. with a section hiker named Susan and Camelback Santa. Camelback was headed north. Susan and I headed south. I was chatting with Susan. She is from Ottawa and is hiking all of the 4K footers. She would check off two more today. We were enjoying each other¢s company so we hiked together all day. The weather cooperated and we had great views. Some of the best views on the trail. At the 1/2 way point I saw what I thought was a shelter. It was a caretaker cabin. I looked inside and it was dark but I heard music. The caretaker had been playing guitar and came out to talk to us. His name is Greg/Logjam. I realized it was the 1/2 way point and based on my calculations we¢d get back to the parking lot at 7pm. Susan has her car parked there and offered me a ride back to the hostel. We had to start walking faster. Luckily we were done with all but one climb. The rest was downhill. We saw several NOBO through hikers I knew. We were walking SOBO for the day. We made it to the parking lot just after 6pm. Susan took me to the general store so I could get resupply. We missed the dinner run and decided we¢d split a DiGorno pizza. When we got back to the hostel they had made three kinds of lasagna and just asked for a donation. I had 4 servings! After dinner I was talking to another lady that said she thought she¢d met me, her name is Tadpole. I checked my notes, I had met her June 6 in Daleville at a Super 8 breakfast. I ate a pint of ice cream and went to bed. No wildlife ?