morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-09-09
From: Caratunk, ME

To: Bald Mountain Lean-to
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

The Sterling Inn is a nice place to relax, or if you like, they have plenty of stuff to do. A couple of the hikers worked for stay by scraping the outside banister. Eric, the owner, took us to the trail head this morning around 8:15am and we started our hike. I had to stop and put on my gloves. You should have seen me - short sleeve shirt, shorts, a hat and gloves on. I just couldn't get my hands warm. After about two hours I took the gloves off. As I was going through the woods I could hear chainsaws running off in the distance. Maine is a big logging state, but the sounds made me think that if I was home, that's what I'd be doing, cutting firewood for next year. Good thing I stocked piled it last year!My time in the big woods is getting shorter by the day and in a way it¢s sad. But my body can't take much more. Today was an easy hike, but my right heel started to hurt more as the day went on and it radiates up the leg. Ibuprofen doesn't seem to help. Maybe I'll double up on it in the morning. Not really much to say about the terrain other than it¢s getting a little easier as we get closer to the Hundred Acre Wood, (Winnie the Pooh). We stopped for the day at Bald Mountain Lean-to. Cash is in the lean-to and Sky Pilot and I decided to tent. It¢s six thirty and I'm in my tent journaling for the day and as soon as I climb Moxie Bald Mountain in the morning I'll send it in...if I have a signal. Till then - lights out.
Date: 2013-09-10
From: Bald Mountain Lean-to

To: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to
Miles today: 13.0

The first climb of the day was right out of the shoot, up Moxie Bald. Before we knew it, we were on top. The rest of today¢s hike is supposed to be all downhill. You all know how that goes! For the most part it was easy, then came the Piscataquis River crossing. This is the river that everyone talks about having to cross. This will be my first crossing that I have to take my shoes off for, so I put on my Crocs and off I go into the deep water. Okay, it only went up to my shins ¢ lucky for us the water level is down. No one fell in and we all made it to Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to where everyone here has gone into the woods to bring back some firewood. By 4pm, we¢ve all eaten supper and are ready for the 80% chance of rain for today. Tomorrow, it¢s into Monson, Maine.
Date: 2013-09-11
From: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to

To: 100 Mile Wilderness Adventures & Outfitters
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: light rain

I decided to stay in the lean-to last night with the others due to rain in the forecast and it turned out to be a wise choice. By the time we left for Monson, it had stopped raining and the hike into town looks to be easy, so off we go. Before we knew it, we were standing in front of the 100 Mile Wilderness Adventures and Outfitters where we are staying in a rustic looking cabin. Monk, Grinch and Waffles are staying here as well. Later in the day, Phil, the owner, drives us into town for some food and snacks from the only place in town - a gas station! And on the way back, we stopped off at the post office for packages from home.Not that we're counting but we have less than 118 miles to go!
Date: 2013-09-12
From: 100 Mile Wilderness Adventures & Outfitters

To: Otter Pond parking
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: light rain

It rained all night but we had decided to do some slack packing so we will be heading south back to the cabin today so it shouldn't be too bad. It rained for most of the day today too. Phil dropped us off .08 miles from the trail and we spotted Sherpa's car (AKA -Andrea) and it wasn't long until we saw her and CoMOMdo. Their gang is going north and we are going south today. The rain is making the rocks, mud and roots very dangerous and then there were two fords to do. Both were knee deep and had a rope to hold on to. Cash decided to pull himself across with his legs wrapped around the rope and then his hat fell in and down the river it went! I kept an eye on it while Cash went downstream from shoreline and was able to retrieve it, fifty feet downstream. Then on his next attempt he lost his Coke and he got rope burn on his legs. The next ford wasn't that bad, just hard to walk in without any shoes on. The rest of the day was a lot of ups and downs. I did see Hoosier and Pumpkin Pie today. Hoosier, you may remember, had taken some time off and Pumpkin Pie had finished his hike about a month ago. He has come back to the trail to finish the trail with Hoosier.We now have 99.2 miles to go and are 18.6 miles into the 100 acre wood. Later that evening, Phil says we can use his truck to run into town and Sky Pilot blurts out, "Boo Boo's driving." It felt weird driving again. Oh, and it's still raining and the no-seeums are eating me up. Tomorrow...back to the woods.
Date: 2013-09-14
From: West Chairback Pond

To: Carl A. Newhall Lean-to
Miles today: 11.6

Rain, rain go away! High winds had limbs falling on and around me last night and a little past four it stopped. The cold front is here or should I say cool front? For breakfast I had bacon jerky, peanut butter with jelly and a Trix candy bar. That should do me for, say, half a mile. On the hike down to the AT, I stepped on a rock and in a blink of an eye I was skating and doing a 120 and then a reverse 120. Sky Pilot says, "Dude, how do you do that?" "Skill," I said. And then I hear one of those scary squirrels. I'm tempted to catch one of these red, inbred squirrels and eat it! Them things are mean and they have no fear of people. So we're on the AT and heading out to find Cash. The trail still has a lot of water coming down. Really, the trail is no different from yesterday, except for one thing, its not raining! We find Cash sitting in the shelter waiting on us. We explained what happened and he was glad we were okay.We're going over Chairback Mountain and I see this grouse sitting in a tree right beside the trail at head level, so I took four pictures and it just sat there, it never did fly off. I told Sky Pilot that when we get to the river crossing I'm going to cook a meal to eat but to our surprise, Trail Magic was waiting. Cash was there eating and said, "There's a note for you over there." It said, "BooBoo, Cash and others: Help yourself. I'm down at the river. Grandma Sylvia" One of my Trail Journal readers! Grandma Sylvia has given me lots of encouragement along the way using the Guest Book on my page. Monk, Cash, Sky Pilot, Grinch and Waffles were all here and when she showed up, she looked at me and said, "You're BooBoo!" Thanks Grandma Sylvia, the trail magic - it really hit the spot! We laid our wet tents and clothes out to dry and after an hour we gathered it all back up and helped Grandma Sylvia load up. Then it's off to cross the West Branch Pleasant River. Cash goes across barefoot and Sky Pilot and I use our Crocs. Once we get across, Cash finds that he has a leach on his toe. I try burning it off and end up burning his toe! Hey, don't blame me - he ask me to! This ridge runner comes up and hands me a lit cigarette and when I touched it to the leach, it comes loose. Cash sure does have trouble with river crossings! After that, it was an easy hike along a stream up to the Carl A. Newhall Lean-to, where we are all in the lean-to tonight.
Date: 2013-09-15
From: Carl A. Newhall Lean-to

To: Crawford Pond
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Today's hike has us going over five mountains. The last one is White Cap at 3,650 ft and from there we will have our first view of Katahdin and then down to the second shelter. The first mountain we come to, not that bad. The second one, still not that bad. Before we knew it, we were on top of Ol Smokey - White Cap mountain. Of course, Cash was already there waiting for us. It was 11:40, so we took a lunch break, while looking a Katahdin. The sun is out and so are my feet - out of my socks and shoes, letting them dry out. My feet look like I've had them in water for days. Oh wait a minute - I have had them in water for days! I've never had it, but I'm sure I'm close to having trench foot! We decided to go past the shelter and tent at Crawford Pond. So add two more little mountains to climb today and one little pimple of a hill for tomorrow and that will be it until Friday (as far as mountains go). There are six of us here tenting tonight. Monk and Grinch are two feet from the pond. Sky Pilot and I are about 20 feet from the pond in the woods. Cash and Waffles are fifty feet in the woods. I'm laying here tapping away and listening to the loons on the pond and all the gas coming from all around me!
Date: 2013-09-16
From: Crawford Pond

To: White House Landing
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Maine rain, go the heck away! It started around 3 am. I thought I was dreaming. Someone was calling out my name. It was Sky Pilot telling me it was raining. I said okay, then realized I had my socks and shirt in a tree drying out. So out of my warm sleeping bag and out into the rain, then back in my tent and fast asleep until 6:00am when Sky Pilot wakes me up again and says, "Let's pack up at 6:30." When will this man let me sleep?We leave and Cash is packing up. It's raining and cold. We make it to the first lean-to - three miles in one hour. Five minutes later, Cash walks in - three miles in thirty minutes - he wins again! We hike on and off all day with Monk, Grinch and Waffles. We stop at our resupply box that was hidden in the woods and resupplied, letting Monk, Grinch and Waffles have several meals that we had extra. The trail is flat and wet, but the rain has stopped and the temps are dropping. We're doing about 3 miles an hour. We pass a lot of lakes with sandy beaches and Grinch goes swimming. The wind is blowing and the temperature makes it too cold for me to try.Seventeen miles later and we're at the boat dock. There's one hiker that has already blown the horn so we wait for the boat to pick us up and take us to White House Landing. It comes and takes us across the lake to where we will be staying the night. The first thing I do is take a hot shower, then I go give my dinner order (a cheese pizza) to the host. Sky Pilot and I walk down to the lake to wash our socks in the wash tubs. I grab the bucket and walk over and step on the dock and kick a rusty sharp bar right in between my toes. I drop to the dock, scared to remove my Croc, but I do. I look at it and feel sick to my stomach. I'm 45.7 miles to the finish and now I have a hole in between my toes at the base of them. Sky Pilot thinks I need stitches but I'm too close to the end and too far from any veterinary doctor so I'll try and keep it clean and dry somehow. It's a good thing I had a tetanus shot before I left home and I have some amoxicillin. I told Cash my hike was over. He said, "No it's not. I'll carry you if I have to - you're not leaving! What a guy.
Date: 2013-09-17
From: White House Landing

To: Pollywog Stream
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: broken clouds

The pain in my toes wasn't that bad last night. I only moaned say, half a dozen times and since I use a wood stove at home, I was in charge of the wood stove in here. Great, give the guy with the gimp foot the job! That's alright, I didn't really mind hobbling on one foot in the dark! I was the first to get up and stay up. I sat in the rec room next to the wood stove looking out the window at the waves in the lake while the sun was coming up, thinking back at the first few days of my hike, thinking man this is great - being out in the woods, not knowing where I'm staying or who I'm going to meet, carrying everything I think I'll ever need to survive on my back and asking myself, "Where the hell am I at?" One by one the guys would wake up and ask me, "How's the foot?" Some offered me first aid supplies and others asked if I had anything that they could carry for me. It brought a tear to my eye - NOT! I'm a grown man and grown men don't cry!This White House Landing is a nice secluded place and is a nice place for hikers to have a place to come to in the so called, 100 Mile Wilderness. This is the last year that it will be open. The owner told us that it's been for sale for three years and he has turned it over to a real estate company. This place was on my to-do list and I am glad I stayed here - hole in the foot and all!The breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs, five pieces of bacon, pancakes and orange juice. Cash and Grinch had a contest about who could eat the most pancakes. I, of course, was pulling for Cash but it was a tie at 15 each. So I jokingly said that to break the tie, they had to do a shot of syrup. Damn if Grinch didn't do it! And then my guy did the same thing - I almost threw up! Okay, okay, it's a tie!Two hours later and we were back in the boat on our way back across the lake and on our way to Rainbow Stream Lean-to. We had a lot of twists and turns today and a couple of nice lakes with sandy beaches to distract us. At one point, we could see the mother of all mountains - no, not Kilimanjaro - Katahdin, only 16 miles away - IF I was a bird. And since I am not, I have 36 hiking miles to go. Because we had a late start this morning and with all the great distraction and the fact that my foot was starting to hurt more, we ended up stealth tenting along the Pollywog Stream, 2.5 miles short of the lean-to we had been headed for. But hey, we're good with that and its probably my last time to tent in the wetland state! The weather was great today and they're calling for great weather through Saturday, so Friday is looking good. We've got a great group of guys that plan on summiting together - Cash, Sky Pilot, Monk, Grinch, Waffles and some hairy, shaggy, Jack Elam looking guy by the name of Boo Boo!
Date: 2013-09-18
From: Pollywog Stream

To: Hurd Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Great night by the river listening to the water rush by. 8:30pm is the last time I looked at my watch until 5am. I was ready to go, but everyone else is still asleep so I roll over and fall back to sleep until 6:30am and I started packing up. Cash was next to me so I knew he heard me. And Sky Pilot was already moving around. Fourteen miles today and it should be easier than yesterday. Still alot of mud and roots because the trail takes you by every pond and lake in this state and usually no easy access to the water. But today, Sky Pilot and I fight our way to the water's edge and hop out and sit on these boulders in the water and eat our lunch while basking in the sun - not a cloud in the sky. We arrive at the Hurd Brook Lean-to where Cash is asleep, sitting up in a corner. I was going to stay in the lean-to as well until I found out that the floor is made of round poles, so I'm tenting near Sky Pilot. The hikers are coming out of the wood work. I bet we had eight hikers pass us that we've never seen before. I told Sky Pilot they've got the fever Katahdin fever. It's like, get out of my way, I've got to summit before it disappears. The anticipation is building for the big day. I've got my Sunday Best ready to put on. Actually, its the same clothes that I've been wearing for MONTHS. I have my toothbrush ready to use in the morning, my brush is ready to groom my wiry face hair. I'm ready. No, not to summit, but to meet my lovely wife!
Date: 2013-09-19
From: Hurd Brook Lean-to

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 13.5

Sorry for the delay, no cell service!I was tenting next to Sky Pilot and around 5:40am I could hear him moving around so I started the last morning in the woods off with a little tune I recorded off of a greeting card his mother had sent him called, "You Can Do It!" and I also played the "Vittles" song to get the morning going. Then I started tossing everything out of my tent to pack up. The six of us - me, Sky Pilot, Cash, Monk, Grinch and Waffles - left for Abol Bridge where we were going to meet Kathy who was going to bring McDonald's breakfast to us and then was going to slack pack us to the Katahdin Stream Campground. The weather was great and the terrain was great. The bridge was finally in sight and so was Kathy. Long story short and after all the mushy stuff and some picture taking, we sat down and had our breakfast. We had several logging trucks come by and a couple of them were Pelletier logging trucks. Soon after, Cash, Sky Pilot and I slacked packed the ten miles to Katahdin Stream Campground, lean-to number eight. Kathy shows up and she had bought some hot dogs, pasta, broccoli and potato salads for supper with a cake for dessert and lunch meat for sandwiches and some snacks for the climb tomorrow. Sky Pilot started the fire and Monk, Grinch and Waffles happened to get the lean-to next to us free of charge (the people who had reserved it decided not to stay) and so they were able to join us for supper. It was nice to have Kathy here with me and be able to meet all the guys that I have gotten to know and not only be a part of their hike, but also be a part of my hike. The ranger came by and signed me in. I am thru-hiker #491. We also had a visit with Buddy Backpacker and his mom and dad who had all summited today. M-80, Trooper and their dog, Willow the Wonder Dog, also stopped by. They had summited the day before and had come back in hopes that they could give Baltimore (Not Jack) a ride to Millinocket, but he had gotten a ride with Buddy Backpacker's family. We called it a night around eight o'clock and Kathy crawled into the lean-to with her sleeping bag and air mattress with the three of us, so we could try and get plenty of sleep for the final climb of 2013! T minus 9:20:13 to lift-off.
Date: 2013-09-21
From: Katahdin, Baxter Peak, Northern Terminus of the AT

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Wow, its been seven days since we summited and I've traveled more than a thousand yellow blaze miles since then. After our night at the Appalachian Trail Lodge, we went and had breakfast at the Appalachian Trail Cafe. We had a great breakfast and were able to add our names to the latest ceiling tile that they let AT Thru-hikers sign. There were already three of them hanging up for 2013 hikers and I was able to find Vegas and Trudger, M-80, Trooper and Willow and lots of other hikers that I met along the way. After that, we took Cash to his bus and Sky Pilot to his hotel in Bangor. I will miss those guys and their quick wit and our conversations. We headed to the border of Canada and the border guard took our passports and asked me quite a few questions in a very serious tone, but he handed the passports back and let us through. Kathy and I really enjoyed Prince Edward Island and wish we had more time to see more of the island as it is much larger than you think. But just like Katahdin, home is now pulling me back. But first I have to cross the border back into the USA. Unlike the Canadian border guard, the US border guard took our passports, asked questions and kept looking at me and then asked to see my driver's license. On both my license and passport I have short hair. He lets us back in and thank God, no cavity search. I need a hair cut and shave! Today I find myself back in Gorham, NH trying to figure out which way to go up Mt. Washington. I can tell you it won't be hiking up it! My body is sore and the hole in my foot is almost healed. I found a couple of pictures of the foot and the spike and I've posted them with today's pictures. Yesterday, as we found ourselves back in Maine, we went driving down the Golden Road pass Abol Bridge for awhile, stopping and taking photos. Katahdin was in the clouds today. I walked south on the AT for about thirty minutes and then we drove on, all the while, hoping to get a glimpse of a moose. Well we did see some moose, five in total, but it's not the way I wanted to see them - each one laid out on a different trailer. It must be opening day for hunting moose. I'm not a hunter and I have nothing against hunting. I took a picture of one of them but I won't be posting it. It's sad for me, who had his hopes up from the time I started back in February to see a moose in the wild, in Maine. It just wasn't meant to be!I think of Cash and Sky Pilot everyday and thinking back, how out on the trail, the time almost felt like it was standing still. Sure I hated the climbs and now my body is saying, "Hey, why aren't we hiking today? Just for that, I'm tightening your muscles up!"On a side note, don't let Kathy now this but I think she's going to loose her big toenails. They're dark, swollen and still sore. That's all for now. BooBoo - yellow blazing home!
Date: 2011-11-12
To: The AT Calls
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

Friends: The trail is calling and I am more than willing to answer. I am initially planning a 100-day AT excursion beginning around the spring solstice of 2013. This time around I am planning on an even lighter load and significantly increased mileage (18 miles per day in 2005). I look forward to making new friendships and rekindling those of the past.
Date: 2011-12-07
To: Lawrence, KS
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I bought some New Balance 573 trail runners and am wearing them to work daily to assess the feel. One of my goals before this thruhike is to find a shoe that works for me and break in three pairs before I start my hike. In 2005 I was stuck with whatever the store in town happened to stock and I really paid for it by suffering with sore, blistered feet most of my trip. The toe box area seems sufficiently wide to alleviate some of my feet issues and the bottoms have a great grip. I need to see if the inserts need to be replaced with a more cushioned one. My next dilemna is to decide if I need to replace my one pound Gossamer Mariposa pack with one that is less beat up or just mend it myself.
Date: 2011-12-27
To: Looking for eagles
Miles today: 0.0

My wife and I enjoyed the warm December weather and hiked some of the Clinton Lake State Park trails in Lawrence, KS about four miles from our house. What a great day for wildlife: 3 deer, bald eagle, baby woodpecker. The hike reminded me how much I miss being on the AT. Although it was extremely muddy, it was a good test for my new shoes and I'm pleased with them so far.
Date: 2012-03-08
To: Anniversary of First Hike
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Seven years ago tonight my sister drove me to the train station in Cleveland, Ohio so I could board the midnight train to Georgia to start my 2005 thruhike on March 9th. I first met Backcountry Dave in the Washington DC station. It seems like yesterday when I exited the train in Georgia and took a taxi to Amicalola Falls where I first ran into Diesel and his hiking partner Lojack. What great memories! In about one year I look forward to my next great adventure. I wonder what it will hold. I ask myself if I will have the same mental discipline and tenacity at 54 years of age to pound out mile after mile with constant pain in some part of my body that I did when I was 46. Are the occasional sleepless nights worth it? Will the cold nights of March and April, the constant snoring of fellow hikers, and the always present sound of the shelter mice deter me? Of course not. The real beauty of the trail is the ability to get into a trance state and become one with nature and the divine. It is the most enjoyable and rewarding experience I have ever encountered. When you run into a fellow hiker you haven't seen in a few days it is like you've come across a long lost pal. The esprit-de-corps of the trail is beyond description. Total strangers will go out of their way to lend you a hand, give you a ride, provide trail magic -- all because they want you to succeed. That is why I'm going back. For those of you who "don't get it," I suggest you spend more time in nature and totally detach from the sounds of humanity -- you'll be glad you did. To those of you in the 2013 class, I wish you the grandest journey of your life. I look forward to crossing paths, sharing a shelter and swapping trail stories. Until then, keep training.