morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-08-05
From: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to

To: Monson, ME
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 146-August 5, Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to to Monson, ME, 9 miles. We got some good rain last night during the dinner hour, but it stopped by bedtime ( which is never too long after dinner!) and we awoke to clear skies. Our destination today was Monson, ME, the last town on the trail. The nine miles to get here were no trouble and we were to the road before 10 AM after leaving just after 6. We had one river/stream to ford but it was a slow moving river and felt good on our feet. Once we got to ME 15 we got a shuttle ride to the Lakeshore House where we had a room reserved for the night. We shuttled with Grasshopper and Topo who are also staying here tonight. The small town of Monson sits on Lake Hebron and we have enjoyed sitting on the Lakeshore House's dock watching the loons and enjoying the serene setting. We enjoyed a second breakfast and late lunch at a local bakery called Pete's Place. Very tasty! We also had a reunion here with Squirrel and Tree Frog who we hiked with back in May and June and who were married on the trail on June 21st. It was great to sees them again. Our Trail Jeannie has sent us 2 boxes of food to carry us over for the next 7 days. Tomorrow we go into the Hundred Mile Wilderness, the last stretch that leads us to Baxter State Park and Mt. Katahdin. Until recently hikers had to carry 7 days of food with them through this stretch because there are no resupply towns along the way. This was quite a challenge because most of us haven't carried more than 3 days of food at time for the past few months! In the last year or so, this lodge and another outfitter started to offer a food drop service partway through the Hundred Mile Wilderness. We are taking advantage of this service. For $25 this lodge will give us a 5-gallon plastic bucket with a lid. We put the food we want for the second half of the HMW in the bucket and then they will deliver it it a spot where the trail crosses a dirt road about halfway through the HMW. We've talked to some hikers who used this service and they said it worked great and was worth the money. Back in March when we started this adventure, I could not even imagine myself in Monson, getting ready to go into the HMW-it seemed impossibly far away but here we are. There may be no journal updates for more than a week because cell service is scarce in the north woods. At this point we think we may summit Katahdin on August 12, 13 or 14. The weather and trail conditions will play a big role in determining our timeline. If the weather is bad when we get to Katahdin, the rangers may close the mountain to hikers and we would have to wait until the weather improves. We thank all the faithful readers of this journal for their support and encouragement over the past 4+ months and ask that you continue to send your good vibes our way for another week or so. All is well. 114.5
Date: 2014-08-06
From: Monson, ME

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

*Day 147-August 6, Monson, ME to Long Pond Stream Lean-to, 15.1 miles. Today is our 37th wedding anniversary! And we have only been apart for about 30 hours in the last 147 days! We were in Australia for our anniversary last year-I wonder what next year will bring? Our day started with a wonderful breakfast at Pete's Place, next door to the hostel. Everything that we ate there was delicious and we wish the owners success in this new business. We made the final arrangements for our Food Drop with Prince at the hostel and then he drove us back to the trail so we were hiking by 7:30 AM. Here is pretty much how our day went: rocks, roots, mud, uphill, downhill, pond-repeat for 8 hours and 4 minutes! Throw in 2 fords and several rock hopping stream crossings and that was our day. The guide showed 3 fords but we were able to get across the first one in our boots by rock hopping and stepping on one slightly submerged rock resulting in one wet boot toe for each of us. The other two fords had nice ropes stretched across the stream which made the crossing easier. We hoped to see a moose in the many ponds we passed today, but no luck. There was the carcass of a moose by the second stream ford, but that doesn't really count!As we approached this lean-to we walked by the 100 mile mark, so we now have just less than 100 miles to go! These Hundred Mile Wilderness journal entries will probably be shorter as I try to conserve the battery in my phone. One of the readers of this journal, Bonnie, who has a cabin in the woods near Monson thinks we may find cell service on top of Barren Mountain. If that is the case, I will post this entry, if not, it will have to wait a week. All is well. 99.4
Date: 2014-08-07
From: Long Pond Stream Lean-to

To: Carl A. Newhall Memorial Lean-to
Miles today: 20.8

*Day 148-August 7, Long Pond Stream Lean-to to Carl A. Newhall Memorial Lean-to, 20.8 miles. 2100 miles! We crossed our last 100 mile mark! We now have 21-hundred mile photos which might make a nice collage photo. This day was longer than originally planned but we chose to push on when we arrived where we thought we might camp. Today was about mountains-one big one and then lots of little ones. The big one was Barren Mountain, which started up right out of camp. We then climbed Fourth Mtn., Three and a Half Mtn. (yes, I know, you'd think a more original name could be found!), skirted the summit of Third Mtn., Columbus Mtn. and Chairback Mtn. The ups were OK on all of these assents, but the descents were something else. One made me cry, but I didn't fall and I realized that I have already done so many rock vomit descents that I can handle them! We planned to camp after 15.2 miles on the south side of a river ford. We got there at 3 PM and decided to try for the shelter which was 5.6 miles away. The trail was the nicest we'd had all day and the thunder all around kept us moving right along. We did get enough rain to put on our pack covers and raise the umbrellas. It didn't last too long. We arrived at the shelter to discover that there was no flat ground near the place on which to set up our tent. All the tent sites were just off the trail, before the shelter. So we retraced our steps and found an OK site for our tent. The rain has returned and we are now sitting in our tent hoping it moves through so we can cook our dinner. If the rain doesn't let up we will have to cook under the front vestibule of the tent. We had a first today-at lunch we opened a new pack of pita pockets for our sandwiches only to discover they were all moldy! We cannot use them but fortunately we have extra granola bars which we will eat with our peanut butter to replace the pita calories. I'll be interested to see the condition of the Pitas in our Food Drop box, which we will pick up on Saturday. Our Trail Jeannie had to buy and ship our Maine food resupply boxes so far ahead of our using the food, I guess I'm not too surprised this happened. Good thing we have extra granola bars! Tomorrow we have our last big mountain until Katahdin, then the terrain is supposed to flatten out some. I'll believe it when I see it! All is well. 78.6
Date: 2014-08-08
From: Carl A. Newhall Memorial Lean-to

To: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: light rain

*Day 149-August 8, Carl A. Newhall Memorial Lean-to to Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to, 18.9 miles. Another good mileage day in our quest to get to Baxter State Park and Mt. Katahdin. We spent the morning climbing 4 mountains-Gulf Hagas, West Peak, Hay and White Cap. All four mountains had reasonable ups and downs. We had one mountain in the afternoon, Little Boardman Mountain and from looking at the guide I thought it would be no big deal. Well, the second part of the climb kicked my butt! How does this happen-after all the mountains I've climbed? I was glad to get down the other side and start some of that long-awaited flat walking. Our guide indicated that about a mile down White Cap there was a view and if the weather was clear, you could see Katahdin! The weather was clearing, but in the hazy distance we could make out our goal! I think we might get another chance to see the mighty mountain tomorrow, weather-permitting. We had some flatter sections of trail today, which is what I am anticipating for tomorrow. Some times the trail was relatively free of rocks and roots and other times it was choked with both. My favorite part of the trail today was a 2 mile section that went through a very green, mossy pine forest. The trail was covered with pine needles (nice) and everything else, all the rocks, the fallen trees and the forest floor were all covered in lush, green moss. It was magical-like at any minute little fairies or gnomes were going to emerge from their verdant hiding spots! It was great! We want to give a "shout-out" to the trail crews of the Maine Appalachian Mountain Club. Since entering Maine we have encountered some very impressive hand-built rock steps. Today coming down White Cap was the most impressive steps we've seen. For almost a mile, flat rocks have been positioned forming a staircase with steps that were a nice distance apart. With my bad/sore knees, not having to take huge steps to get for one rock step to the next is a delight. I truly appreciate the work that went into making those steps (and all the others we've used) and send a big "Thank you" to the MATC. Our route today came passed Crawford Pond and a short side trail took us to a sandy beach where we took a snack and water break. We could see the dark clouds all around and the thunder was rumbling closer than we liked so we didn't linger long and pushed on for the final 3 miles. The rain started when we were less than an hour from this shelter and our umbrellas worked well. The rain has since stopped so hopefully we'll get our dinner cooked in the shelter and settled in the tent for the night before it returns. Another 20 planned for tomorrow. All is well. 59.7
Date: 2014-08-09
From: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to

To: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: overcast clouds

*Day 150-August 9, Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to to Wadleigh Stream Lean-to, 21.5 miles. Today we celebrated 150 days on the trail! Wow! There aren't too more left! We planned this long day because the elevation map was pretty much a flat line with just a couple of small hiccups in it and it was a manageable distance. I am tired now that we have our tent set up, but I am always tired! Our highlight this morning was discovering our food drop was right where it was supposed to be! We hiked 3.7 miles to Jo-Mary Road and followed the directions we were given- take so many paces in one direction, look for colored tape on a tree, enter the woods and look for 5-gallon buckets covered with brush. And there they were! There must have been a dozen buckets so Gray Squirrel found the one with his name on it. We packed up almost all of the food, leaving a few food items that we knew we would not need. We also left 4 days of trash! Yesterday we realized that we should have included 2 cans of Coke or Pepsi which we could have drank while we organized the new food and then left the cans in the bucket! That would have tasted great! We walked along lots of water today-streams, ponds and lakes. We looked for moose but didn't see any, but then again there were not lots of moose droppings today either. We ate an early lunch at the Potaywadjo Lean-to, enjoying once again Pitas that were not moldy! We were supposed to have 2 fords today but we were able to rock hop across all the streams. We are a bit amazed that after 4 days in the Hundred Mile Wilderness, our boots are almost completely dry. That will all change tomorrow. As we walked near the shore of Nahmakanta Lake we saw a bald eagle soaring over the water - what a beautiful sight! I imagine it might have been fishing, but we didn't see it dive. At last night's lean-to a SOBO was telling us that she heard that there was a group of hikers who were all sick at a campsite we were to pass today. Then someone else on the trail this morning thought those sick hikers were at the lean-to we are now at a couple of nights ago. This afternoon another SOBO told us he stopped at this lean-to and read the log and there was no mention of sick people. The Noro Virus was a big concern at the beginning of the hike because last year it was a big problem early in the hiking season. We decided we would camp here, just not go in the lean- to. We have not found any evidence of sick people being around here recently. There was another opportunity to get a view of Katahdin across Pemadumcook Lake, but clouds to the north prevented us for getting a glimpse. We'll get another chance tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, we have another big day with one big climb but lots of bogs and muddy terrain (according to some SOBO's). We've also been told of serious blueberry patches, which is something to look forward to! All is well. 38.2
Date: 2014-08-10
From: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to

To: Abol Bridge Campground
Miles today: 23.1

*Day 151-August 10, Wadleigh Stream lean-to to Abol Bridge Campground, 23.1 miles. What would we do for a cheeseburger? Well, we walked an extra 3.5 miles to get to this outpost of civilization where we are camped at a private campground and ate in a restaurant! Our intention this morning was to walk 19.6 miles to the second to last lean-to on the trail. We thought this might be a tougher hiking day than yesterday's 21+ miles because we had more elevation gain and several SOBO's told us how muddy the trail was. It turns out the ups and downs were very manageable and there was much less mud than we feared, so we made pretty good time. The mud situation must have seemed bad to the SOBO's because they hadn't seen what we had already been through. One highlight today was the massive amount of blueberries on top of Rainbow Ledges! We had heard rumors ( from the SOBOs, this time they were right) that the top of the Ledges was covered in blueberries! As we approached the summit we were amazed at how many berries were weighing down the bushes! We'd scoop our hands through the bushes and come up with a handful of berries! I ate so many blueberries that I will probably pee blue tomorrow! It was so tasty. Plus on top we had a spectacular view of Katahdin! Actually, out first climb right out of camp this morning provided us with several views of the majestic mountain! Today we hiked all day with Larry, a section hiker who is completing the trail with this section. We have seen Larry good number of times in the past month and we are now on the same schedule. Speaking of our schedule, here is our plan: tomorrow we hike about 10 miles to a hiker campground within Baxter State Park, right near the start of the trail up Katahdin. Then early on Tuesday morning we will make our climb to the summit to complete this incredible adventure. It is a surreal feeling! Our plans for getting home are very flexible with several options. One option that may work is that Larry and his wife, Pam, may take us south a ways in their motorhome. We are leaving all of our options open. As you can imagine, I am very tired. We have covered over 80 miles in the last 4 days. Tomorrow's 10 miles will be followed by lots of rest in preparation for our summit climb. The excitement is building!All is well. 15.1
Date: 2014-08-11
From: Abol Bridge Campground

To: The Birches Campsite
Miles today: 9.9

Day 152- August 11, Abol Bridge campsite to The Birches campsite, 9.9 miles. After an easy morning of hiking, here we are at the base of Katahdin, that mystical mountain that has drawn us north for the past 5 months! It is rather unbelievable that we have walked most of the east coast of the US. Before I get too emotional, I'd better document our day. We awoke to a full (?) moon setting over the Penobscot River and we were on the trail around 5:45 AM. We were glad to have Larry's company again this morning-someone to add some conversation to our day! The trail was very kind to us as it was mostly flat with many miles of smooth trail conditions. That is not to say that we didn't see rocks, roots and mud because we did, just in short sections. There were also supposed to be two fords, but we were able to rock hop one of them. The trail paralleled several rivers and streams which means there was always water noise and something to look at. We are camping tonight at the Birches campground, a camping area reserved for hikers who have hiked over 100 miles to get here-we fall well within that requirement! Larry's wife Pam met us here and they are staying the night in Millinocket. It was nice to meet Pam because we have heard a lot about her. She has supported Larry in his 15 year end-to-end section hike by driving him to trailheads and resupplying his food. We spent a few hours sitting in the picnic area near the spot where the AT emerges from the woods acting as a greeting committee! We have witnessed a couple of family reunions as hikers have come out of the woods to find parents waiting for them! Trail Magic has returned-2 times today. We met Lion's parents today as they were waiting for her to come out of the woods and they gave us 2 bottles of cold Snapple! Then we had a reunion with Ridgerunner Regina here at the campground! She gets around as we last saw her in Virginia! She gave us each an apple which was very tasty! There is excitement in the air! Tomorrow's climb is the most difficult on the trail, but I have been training for it for 5 months. Because we return to the same place we start the climb, we will not be carrying our full packs. The rangers here at Baxter State Park prefer hikers not carry their full packs when they are making a round-trip hike on Katahdin so they provide day packs for hikers or will store hikers extra stuff while they are hiking. I am looking forward to carrying much less than 25 pounds on my back. I am resting now in preparation for tomorrow's big event. I hope I can sleep tonight! One hiker has described this eve as exciting as Christmas Eve is to a child and he is right! All is well. 5.2
Date: 2014-08-12
From: The Birches Campsite

To: Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: light rain

Day 153-August 12, The Birches campsite to Katahdin, 5.2 miles. We did it! Today at 8:42 AM we reached the summit of Katahdin, completing our Appalachian Trail thru-hike! To use the words of our friend, Tim, we are exhilarated and exhausted! The weather could not have been better for us and the view from the top of the mountain was spectacular. We had a fun time on top as other thru-hikers made their way to the summit and we got to celebrate all over again. Lots of photos were taken and hugs shared. It was a very special time that Jim and I will cherish for the rest of our lives. We are now with hiker Larry and his wife, Pam, in their motor home in Abbot, ME. Tomorrow we will ride with them to Albany. That is all for now. I will write more tomorrow about this very joyful day. All is well. 0
Date: 2014-04-25
To: Michigan
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

My brother was supposed to be here with us but cancer decided to claim him. It's been two years since his passing. So, it'll be just me and dad, Sticks. It's his trail name and he's been going at it for 6 years with his buddy, 4 Trees, one section at a time. I'm doing this one section with him from Pearisburg to Harper's Ferry to make up for what he missed a while ago due to foot injury. We've never done anything like this together before. I look forward to creating memories with dad.
Date: 2014-04-29
To: The Drive
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Rain, rain, go away and come back another day.Nope. It's coming down hard. Even the cats and dogs are whimpering. Trail forecast says rain for the first few days. Perfect. Since its my first time on the Appalachian, the Mother figures that I need to be baptized. Mom knows best. Feeling the warm embrace of the unconditional Earthly love, we, the Commerson boys, are marching on! Well, we'll need to get to Pearisburg safely first... 6 more hours..
Date: 2014-04-29
To: Ode to Lips
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

2 more hours of driving before we reach the trailhead. Naturally, idle thoughts not-so-randomly landed on the communications cloud. I grew up with thousands of failed lipreading attempts behind my belt. Let me tell you this, I'm the lips expert. A connoisseur. Lips are as lovely and diverse as the critters of the Amazon. Then I went to a Deaf school. Read my lips, no more lips. The day I quit lipreading, I became an activist. Seriously, I still do it in vain... the failures are like the comfort food. Can't get enough of 'em mac n cheese. Anyway. Now I'm about to go hiking with a social beast, Sticks. He loves people as much as I do with one small difference: He does it with lips, and me with hands. Honestly, this is one dynamics that intrigues me so... what sort of tension (if any) will arise? *blows kiss*
Date: 2014-04-30
From: Pearisburg

To:  Pine Swamp Branch Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: moderate rain

After 7 days, we're finally at a motel (Howard Johnson). We've covered 94 miles this week.Showered, picked up a food box from the Troutville Postal Office that we shipped last week, ate cheeseburgers, had glasses of beer (got tipsy unusually fast), and now we're back at the motel doing laundry and trailjournal.Here's the first journal entry from Wed. April 30th: I'm pertty self-conscious about using my voice. Always have been.About 10 years ago, I asked my brother to be honest and tell me what my voice sound like. "Retarded," he replied without hesitation. (I know, not supposed to say the R-word.. he said it.. so there)I've always known that people put alot of value on the sound of people's voice. Eunication, or speech, is associated with intelligence. In short, if you don't speak, you're dumb.So, last night was our first night of the journey. At the Rice Field shelter, we met college age hikers. The first guy that arrived said something to me. I signed, "What's up. How was the hike? Where did you come from?"Needless to say, he froze. His pupils dilated. Then my dad spoke. The relief was immediate and profound. I was slightly amused and irritated at the same time.Dad meant no harm. It's the "social contract" between Dad and myself. Actually, with all members of my family. I've developed a strategy of interacting with people who don't sign over the years and perfected it. Now this is one variable in the equation that I'll need to figure out..