morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-09-17
From: Imp Shelter 

To: Gorham
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: light rain

It turns out the mice swarmed the weekender's pack last night because that is where he left his food bag, on purpose.Getting into town at 1:30 we headed straight for Mr. Pizza. The original idea was to get in, eat & resupply, then head back out. Curly fries with cheese, 1/2 a bacon and tomato pizza, and a brownie sundae later I knew I was too full to hike out. Besides, if I had waited till Andover to shower and do laundry, it would have been bad, really bad. I resupplied at Rite-Aid, mostly because I was too lazy to walk the .5 out of town to the regular grocery store. But it turns out Rite-Aid was having a huge sale on food. I was able to get everything I needed except for bread. And that just left me with a good excuse to hit Dunkin Donuts in the a.m.Showering felt so wonderful. I really feel like a different person afterwards. More like a person and less like hiker trash. But I couldn't have smelled that bad because people choose to sit near us in Mr. Pizza, pre-shower. Okay, that's a lie; I know I smelled wretched (especially my feet). I have no idea why people sat near us.
Date: 2005-09-18
From: Gorham

To: Gentian Pond Shelter 
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: overcast clouds

I tried to squeeze in a few last minutes of TV before we left this morning. It didn't even bother me that the movie was from 1990. At Dunkin Donuts I got a muffin and a donut. Rawhide got a breakfast sandwich and a donut. We quickly realized that we were going to need more donuts than that. And they are cheaper if you buy them by the 1/2 dozen, so... I have never eaten that many fat-filled and sugar dipped Os of goodness in one sitting before. And I know that after the trail I won't be able to do that again. Well, I know I can but then I'll just start looking like a donut.Rawhide got his pole fixed at the hardware store and we were off and ... waiting a long time for a ride. The weather was supposed to clear, it didn't. The trail was supposed to be blazed; it was only occasionally. The branches along the trail are not supposed to be so overgrown that you get soaked as you walk by, they are. At one point I seriously began to doubt that I was on the AT. It seems that since the AMC doesn't get any money from these shelters, they don't care about the trail. Bog logs are not supposed to sink under water when you step on them, these did. That was the point where I had to just start laughing. My shoes, however, are cleaner than they have been in a long time.The ability to laugh when one bad thing after another happens will help keep you on trail. Some it seems have found happiness in killing mice. Too Obtuse has done away with at least 5 tonight. As long as it keeps them away from me!P.S. It was a completely mouse free, peaceful night.
Date: 2005-09-19
From: Gentian Pond Shelter 

To: Full Goose Shelter 
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: clear sky

Maine. Maine. Maine. I hiked all of the way to Maine! You think about this state from the very beginning but as something vague and elusive. Somehow I have managed to get this far and pin it down. The views are breathtaking but they make you work for it. Tomorrow I will go through the Mahoosuc Notch. I'm trying to keep the "this will be fun" attitude rather than succumb to fear. Already twice today I had to take my pack off to get down the rock faces.I'm glad that Too Obtuse and Quixote stopped at the same shelter as we again tonight. They have been great people to hike with and have lots of stories to tell. The notch may make our paths diverge because I am only planning a 5 mile day (hey, the notch may be really hard for me) and they are pushing on. I have to believe that I will see my favorite people again, hopefully out on a trail somewhere.
Date: 2005-09-20
From: Full Goose Shelter 

To: Speck Pond Shelter 
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: mist

The Mahoosuc Notch took 2 hours and 20 minutes. It started to rain the moment I started. Thankfully it stopped after about 20 minutes but by then the rocks were wet. That meant I was going to be wet since you have to sit/climb/kneel on the rocks. The first 30 minutes were fun. The next hour wasn't bad. But well before the two hour mark I was ready to be done!Feeding a chipmunk (I know it was wrong but he was just so cute! well, except for his feet that looked like mousy feet) at lunch did a lot to restore my spirits. He came right up next to me and even put his hand on my shoe. Rawhide wanted to put crumbs on my lap to see if the chipmunk would climb on me but that was were I drew the line.Since we had planned a short day, there were still lots of daylight when we got to the shelter. It was right on a great pond and the sun was actually shining. It stopped shinning after our camp chores were done and we were ready to sit by the pond. I toughed it out for a little while, soaking up the warmth that came with the holes in the clouds, but the cold wind finally drove me into the tent.
Date: 2005-09-26
From: Piazza Rock Shelter

To: Spaulding Mtn Shelter 
Miles today: 16.9

After weeks of seeing moose tracks and moose poop (it looks just like small chocolate Easter eggs), I finally got to see two at (yet another) pond!Maine puts the privies far from the shelters. And I mean ¢take a snack and headlamp¢ far.
Date: 2005-09-27
From: Spaulding Mtn Shelter 

To: Stratton
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

While the town of Stratton might not have a lot to offer, the hospitality is great. Don and Susan run the Stratton Motel and Maine Roadhouse. We were dropped off there; Don walked up, told us his rates and recommended his other place to sleep. He put us in his van and swept us away. The roadhouse was beautiful. The table was a solid slab of wood, sanded and urethaned. Stunning. Laundry was free and he bought a pie for everyone. Don drove us back into town for dinner and resupply and even took us back to the trail the next day. A great man and wonderful place to stay with the best bunkroom I've ever seen.
Date: 2005-09-28
From: Stratton

To: Safford Notch Campsite 
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

Finally, some views in Maine!!! The Bigelows were worth the climb. From Avery Peak I saw the sunset over the West peak of the Bigelows. Windy as always but picture worthy. The weekenders told us not to move on, that we would be hiking in the dark for hours. (It ended up being 45 minutes.) They hoped we had a good flashlight. Whatever.
Date: 2005-09-29
From: Safford Notch Campsite 

To: East Carry Pond 
Miles today: 16.3

My timing today has been impeccable. Right as the tent was coming down it started to drizzle. Sweet, the tent stayed dry. I stopped at one of the middle shelters for lunch just as Yukon Jack and A-Train were heading out. They wanted to get to the next shelter before the real rain hit. Too late, just a few minutes later it started to rain. Dready and Blaze, with their beautiful dog Sampson, showed up, glad to get out of the rain. And then Piker and Ms. Mileage came in. We have been following them for a really long time. Mamma Toes enjoys their journal, so I had been looking forward to meeting them. Then it started to pour. It rained so hard that the area in front of the shelter was one big puddle in no time and the sound of the rain on the tin roof made it impossible to talk. Pouring rain, and I had the good fortune to be sitting high and dry in a shelter. Lamby and Gunner showed up soaked, looking to squeeze in for the night. Hiker code says - if it¢s raining you always make room, always.   We could have fit tight but Rawhide and I decided to give up our space. We were dry, our tent was dry, and the rain had stopped. Moving on was the right thing to do. We found a fabulous campsite on the beach of a pond. The tent went up just as the sunset colors lit the sky.
Date: 2005-09-30
From: East Carry Pond 

To: Pleasant Pond Lean-To 
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: broken clouds

9.5 miles done by 11 o'clock in the morning! This might be a record for me. We watched the sun rise over the pond this morning, packed up and hit the trail around 7:30 again. The ferry across the Kennebec River runs from 9 to 11 am and then 2 to 4 pm at this time of the year. If we missed the morning ferry we would have to sit around and wait for several hours with no lunch. The goal was the river by 11. At 15 to 10 we hit the shelter for a privy stop and I was told to "Get to work." At 10 of we were off and running. And I do mean running. To make the ferry I had to do 3.5 miles in 70 minutes. This is an unheard of speed for me. I was positive I wasn't going to make it. With lots of pushing hard and some actual jogging down the trail I made it in 65 minutes. Steve the Ferryman was already on his way across. Seeing that his shift was done he took us back to his store to resupply and nuke some very unhealthy stuff for lunch. He was getting ready to do a shuttle so we had to hurry if we wanted a ride back. So in another amazing feat I was fed, restocked, and back to the trail by noon. There had to be some laziness involved so I 'dried stuff' in the sun for an hour. The next 6 miles flew by and we all hit camp early enough for Captain Morgan to build a big fire with big logs. I didn't think that I would see them again. With their long legs they get ahead and stay ahead. But the vortex of town had sucked them in for several nights. It also seems to have caught Pixie and Pine Dragon. Maybe I'll finally catch them in Monson (the very last town!!!).Its very odd how the end of my hike has turned into the opposite of how the rest was. Now everyone else is going slow and stopping in towns, and I'm the one getting up early and only thinking about the miles. Well, if the mileage monster that Cuppa Joe warned me about many months ago had to eat me, I'm glad it waited till the end.
Date: 2005-10-01
From: Pleasant Pond Lean-To 

To: Bald Mountain Stream 
Miles today: 15.2

"Well, we saw it, don't know which one it was for sure, but we saw it." - Reality Check on seeing Big K for the first timeI think I saw it too. A tiny little mountain way far away. Captain Morgan, Reality Check, and Yukon Jack got to the top of Moxie Bald Mountain first. They figured out which mountain was probably Katahdin. If it really was that one, it is still small and distant. The last town is coming tomorrow. I am excited and sad at the same time. Excited to move on to new things and be done with going uphill!!!(for a little bit anyways). But leaving people and life on the trail is going to be hard. For almost seven months this has been my life. As Pine Dragon said, ¢Hiking is not what you do, it is who you are.¢ We have all crossed over and become one of them, the thru-hikers, who know how good life can be and will make this the yard stick that we measure the rest of our lives by. Well, until we all do the PCT in '07 that is.
Date: 2005-10-02
From: Bald Mountain Stream 

To: Monson
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: broken clouds

I'm here in the last town before the end. Many mixed emotions that I figure will continue well into the ride home. I have gotten used to this life. Wake up, eat, hike, eat, hike, eat, sleep. Stop to take pictures and chat with friends along the way. Speaking of friends, Pixie and Pine Dragon pushed hard and got into town a day early. Who are these people that have invaded my slow friends' bodies?? I guess I'll have to hunt them down in the 100 mile wilderness.Before I leave for the last leg of the trip I want to thank all of the wonderful people who have signed my guest book. All the way back to Jabez helping me on a low day in VA to the entries I just received. Each one has made my day as much as a great view from a high mountain. And to everyone else whose emails I have been delinquent in answering - I'll do better in about 9 days or so! The woods of Maine call and there are still many miles left to be done.
Date: 2005-10-03
From: Monson

To: Wilson Valley Lean-To 
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

4.5 miles behind schedule, but that is what happens when you don¢t leave town till after 10 am. Besides, 4.5 is still pretty easy to make up. Mouth had left pictures in this register, one of him and one of Gypsy Lulu. It really makes me miss him and sad that I couldn't see him one last time on the trail.This was the second or third really, really warm day. Heat like this has made appear two things I don't like - mosquitoes and snakes. I was bit yesterday (bug not snake) for the first time in weeks. I had truly forgotten how much those suckers made me itch. Today while hiking I saw 8 snakes!!! That's more than I saw in most states much less in one day. They were all the harmless brown and yellow garter snake kind but still proceeded to scare me every time.Two more fords today. They slow me down by about 10 to 20 minutes. People tell you all sorts of information about fording in Maine - whether you should leave on your shoes or change into crocs, the best places to cross, how deep, how wide, and how fast. What they don't mention is that the water is cold. You plunge in without hesitation because, well, you've got to get to the other side, but the water is bone chilling, flesh freezing, make you want to scream out loud cold. Okay, so I actually did start yelling a few times. It is a delicate balance between hurrying through the frigidness and making sure you don't slip and make ALL of you wet.PS - I had two big oops today. Maine continues to be really muddy. To go around yet another muddy spot I put my pole in the middle to help me stay on the nice dry side. Only this time my pole sunk around 2 feet down (both bottom parts to the 3-part pole were in the mud). This caused me to pitch over and add my foot to the hidden sinkhole to China. Oops #2 came when I stepped on a slanted, wet, green covered rock. I think I was asking to fall in the mud that time. I may have also momentarily trapped a small frog with my pack when I fell. Right after I stood up he appeared out of nowhere and frantically hopped away.
Date: 2005-10-04
From: Wilson Valley Lean-To 

To: Chairback Gap Lean-To 
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: clear sky

Day 2 of the Wilderness - 4 miles behind scheduleTrains, Planes, and AutomobilesToday, in the wilderness, I heard chainsaws, a train, a semi truck, dogs howling at a house, and saw a floatplane. I also met two day hikers, in the wilderness. See a theme here? They were, however, 2 very nice day hikers who gave us lots of congrats for making it to the end. This morning I received another clear sign that it is time to go home and live in a real house - a mouse chewed on and defiled my pee rag. I mean of all things it choose to chew on--something that smells like urine. Probably because I'm sure even that smelled better than my socks and shoes. They have this nice ammonia musty foot smell thing going on. I smelled my shoe after leaving Monson (yeah, I know, not the smartest thing to do) and I actually gagged. Not even a 'wow that smells bad' fake gag but a real think I might throw up gag. Anyway, the pee rag thing is just going too far.Another nasty surprise today was the sudden steep and rocky drop down Fourth Mountain. (That is its actual name.) Suddenly I was having flashbacks of southern Maine and a one mile per hour pace. Then, at the bottom I felt like I was on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. At one point the AT circled almost completely around! Luckily the trail returned to its normal boggy and root-filled self by the next mountain. Even so we still hiked all day to get here. Left at 7:30 am, got in around 6:30 pm, and only took one short afternoon break. So lunch may have been just a little more than our standard hour, but the day was gorgeous and I was feeling lazy. 9 hours of hiking for only 15 miles. (althoughI am very sure that this morning's mileage was off. At this point I pretty much know my pace and the suggested miles did not match up with my time.) And I am tired.I am tenting again at the shelter, like always, and the mice are out of control. They went after my very tasty chocolate Chex Mix as soon as my back was turned. Rawhide was still sitting right next to it and we were talking loudly. By the time I got in the tent there were 4 of the little rodents spastically running around the area. Just a few minutes ago Rawhide started kicking the top of the tent, one had crawled under the fly and up the side!! Now all night I'm going to think I hear them chewing their way in. Where are all of those snakes I saw just yesterday??
Date: 2005-10-05
From: Chairback Gap Lean-To 

To: East Branch Lean-To
Miles today: 20.7

Today was my first view of Katahdin. I think. We didn't think that the mountain we saw was the Big K--it was too close--but some weekenders told us otherwise. Who knows? We still don't think we have seen it.Basically today there was a lot of hiking. We left at 6:50 am and got in at 6:30 pm. Up a mountain range and down the other side. The main feeling today was excitement, though right now all I feel is sleepy. Today, for the second day in a row, I've woken up at 5 am. Anybody who knows me knows that this is very, very strange. Gunner says that it is because we are like kids before Christmas. That describes it perfectly.
Date: 2005-10-06
From: East Branch Lean-To

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

This morning's wake up call was at 2:30 am. This is making me seriously exhausted on the bigger mile days. No sleep, many miles, and just the general weariness that has set in with no zeros is starting to wear on me. It takes away some of the excited feeling and makes it seem like just another day to hike.Tomorrow may be the day we catch Pixie and Pine Dragon. They went into White House Landing and we are pushing past. If Mamma Toes wasn't going to be waiting for me, I would want to stop too. But the thought of home is enough to make me want to push on. Home and all of the things that we are going to do after the trail are now the main topic of conversation. I think everyone has mentioned a day that involves a couch, pizza, and not moving except to get another drink. Of course some imagine this as a whole week.Time is so short now that this is like a weekend trip. I'm really scared the weather will turn bad tomorrow, but I know that I can take anything for a day and a half. Then I will be warm and safe in a hotel room.PS - Seriously, where did all of these mosquitoes come from?? It's October!
Date: 2005-10-07
From: Potaywadjo Spring Lean-To 

To: Rainbow Stream Lean-To 
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I'm ending my trip like I started it off - in a shelter next to people I don't really know but could be good friends with if given the chance. The mice here are rampant of course but we are safe from the rain. I'm praying for no snorers! I have to admit Maine is beautiful. She was reluctant to show us her good side in the beginning. Rough trail, high winds, rain, and no views made me want to go home. But the fall colors reflecting on pristine lakes has changed my mind. I have taken so many more pictures lately.I thought I would be having these important moments and strong emotions at the end of the trail, but so far nothing. I think these things happened over the past months while I was busy hiking. It was the moments that snuck up on me that I didn't know were so special till later. Then they were just the trail.On a side note we passed Pixie and Pine Dragon this morning while they were still at the hostel. I was hoping they would catch up with us tonight, but there are stories of illness. This may change their finish date and not let us see them. How sad after many months of chasing them.
Date: 2005-10-09
From: Millinocket

To: Millinocket
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I really wanted to be able to summit today but we woke to rain and a Class III day (meaning that some of the trails are too dangerous and closed). I don't really mind hiking in the rain, but I wanted something a little better for my big day. Besides, this brings my zeros total to a nice even 45!!! Oddly enough I still did normal zero day stuff - laundry, grocery store, TV, wander around town a little, and pack my bag to hike out the next day.
Date: 2006-01-08
To: Gear 2
Miles today: 0.0

Oh, yeah a very small bottle of hand sanitizer and a pee rag. (1/3 of a Light Load biodegradable towel) The biodegradable part was nice since I had a tendency to leave it behind. Sorry if you were the one to find it.By half way I wasn't carrying any blister stuff because none of it worked for me. Short of encasing my entire foot in duct tape nothing stayed on. People wouldn't believe me when I told them this and very graciously offered whatever remedy they carried. I would dutifully try it only to find the item somewhere else entirely in my shoe by the end of the day. The good news is that eventually my feet became hard; I mean not attractive whole sides callused hard. But at least the blisters stopped!A much deeper 'Post-trail' entry is in the works, as is updating missed journals. Besides, I have to finish this journal before I can start the next one......
Date: 2006-01-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I came home, unpacked my bag (this means took out anything that might mildew if I left it there) and started looking forward to my time of nothing. I think for many of us this was the fantasy that carried us in that last part of Maine. A time of nothing - doing nothing physical other than lifting the remote, eat nothing that resembles trail food, and having nothing to do with outhouses, mice or the post office. The only variation in our dreams was what we were going to watch on TV and for how long. Since not long after I started hiking with him, Rawhide¢s dream was a day of watching the three extended-version Lord of the Ring movies back to back with allowable off the couch time being: using a bathroom that has running water, getting more pizza from the man at the door, popping more popcorn, or getting a cold beer. Reality Check had grandiose tales of a whole week of nothing. I was okay with the Lord of the Rings thing--as long as I didn¢t have to hike, do laundry or resupply it sounded like heaven. We got half a day. The movies were still in Florida, apparently my wimpy regular versions just weren¢t enough. We were both broke so we jumped at the chance to work. And it just seemed like there was always something to do. And there still is.        It just happened that one of the houses my grandparents normally rent out became empty about a month before I finished. Perfect timing. They kept it empty for Rawhide and me. It has a large living room and dining room and three bedrooms. One is dedicated just to gear. Of course, there was lots of work to be done before moving in. The living room had old yellowed pink and blue flowered wallpaper. Not only that but it was the kind with the shiny foil highlight. There was lovely pink carpet to match. They were going to replace the carpet anyways, so we hurried to take down the old wallpaper before they pulled up the old dirty one. Some how Rawhide managed to avoid all of this by being on a work trip to North Carolina. The house is old. Really old. This means ceilings are low and floors aren¢t level. (okay well nothing in the house is level) But it does have hardwood floors and a wonderfully large fieldstone fireplace. Now that the house was livable, we needed stuff.        After hiking, you have a different perspective on ¢stuff¢. You realized how little of it you actually need to be happy. And somehow, even keeping this in mind, now we have a house full of stuff. Between the things in storage at my mom¢s, Rawhide¢s clothes, picture stuff, and one green chair that he swears has lots of sentimental value, and the furniture that we borrowed from my grandmother¢s attic our materialistic cup runneth over.