morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-08-17
From: ME27 - Stratton, ME

To: Stratton, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Today was the laziest day ever, and it was awesome. I woke up and watched 7 hours of TV - Saved By The Bell, Fresh Prince, Dennis the Menace movie, and St. Elmo's Fire. Dom arrived and we were picked up by my friend Kristy whose parents have a camp on Rangeley Lake. We hung out on the lake for a few hours and played Boggle on the dock. It was at least 90 degrees today and we could barely make out the mountains just 7 miles away across the lake. This is probably the haziest day we've had in a while and it was great to not be hiking (although we hear tomorrow is supposed to be hotter). We picked up some Thai food in Rangelely and were dropped back off at the hostel where we were reunited with HOT SAUCE!! It's been over a month since I saw her last and we had a lot of catching up to do over dinner and wine.
Date: 2009-08-18
From: Stratton, ME

To: Horns Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Another lazy TV-filled morning at the Maine Roadhouse: Saved By The Bell, Fresh Prince, Full House, and a full showing of Clueless. Clearly we weren't too motivated to get an early start, and the fact that it was about 95 degrees, sunny, and very humid didn't help. We did muster enough energy to prepare a great breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and hash browns, and then grilled cheese for lunch.After a short stop back in Stratton (where my email account got a virus from using the Stratton Motel computer), we finally hit the trail around 3:15. At the trailhead we ran into Stretch and Tin Man (who I hadn't seen since Virginia) and Scout, all trying to get a ride into Stratton. After being clean for 2 days, their smell was overwhelming having just come off the trail after several days. I know this is usually what I smell like too and I generally don't smell other people while out on the trail, but when cleaned up and in town I can smell a thru-hiker from a mile away. Dom decided to join up for one last small stretch of the trail, so he hiked with me, Hot Sauce, Plunger, and Mr. Right up to the Horns Pond Lean-to. It was great to hike with Hot Sauce again and I'm really looking forward to hiking with her to Katahdin. Dom and Hot Sauce went swimming in Horns Pond but the air had cooled off significantly since we had been in town and I couldn't gather the courage to go all the way in so instead just got my feet and legs wet. Dom is heading back to his car tomorrow but I'll see him again in 2 days at the road crossing in Caratunk to pick me and Hot Sauce up for a wedding in Portland. I'm excited to going home for a couple days and to see my cats (which have apparently gotten really fat since I last saw them 5+ months ago)!!
Date: 2009-08-19
From: Horns Pond Lean-to

To: Little Bigelow Lean-to
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: scattered clouds

I slept great last night in the shelter - there was a nice, warm breeze all night long that kept the bugs away from us and I even got a glimpse of the sunrise from my sleeping bag early this morning. We all slept in and didn't start getting ready for the day until close to 8am. Hot Sauce, Dom, and I hiked together up South Horn which had great views of the mountains we had climbed before heading into Stratton to the east and Flagstaff Lake to the west. I was glad today was less hazy than the past couple days so we could actually see the mountains in the distance.The entire Bigelow Range is spectacular - South Horn, West Peak of Bigelow Mountain, Avery Peak, and Little Bigelow Mountain. Dom hiked the first two with us then turned down a side trail which leads back to his car. I'm a bit sad that we climbed the last 4,000-footer (Avery Peak) until Katahdin but I'm sure it will be nice to hike some easier terrain for a while. Halfway through the day we crossed the 2,000-mile mark, a huge milestone! I made a 2,000 out of sticks on the trail but I was too full from lunch to have a celebratory snack.I made it to the shelter around 5pm or so and saw a few new faces - Evergreen (she started the same day as me in GA but took 6 weeks off!), Houdini (a flip-flopper), Feels Like Today (nobo), and Zoltan (the Romanian I hadn't seen since NC). I got cleaned up in The Tubs, some natural deep "bathtubs" in the river next to the shelter and then found a cozy spot to tent for the night.This shelter has a "Best-Of" register to commemorate crossing the 2,000-mile point. There are about 15 or so categories that each nobo fills out, including Best State, Best Hostel, Best Shelter, to name just a few. I had a great time reading through everyone's responses and it was a bit nostalgic as I thought back to Day 1 to come up with my own list. It's Hiker Midnight (8:30pm) - time for bed!
Date: 2009-08-20
From: Little Bigelow Lean-to

To: Pierce Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: broken clouds

Today consisted of 17.3 miles of flat, easy terrain. Finally, I am back to my 2mph pace. I took a long break at each of the three ponds or lakes that the trail bordered today - Flagstaff Lake, West Carry Pond, and East Carry Pond - and enjoyed the nice weather and scenery. This may be the longest stretch I've had on this entire trip without rain and feel extremely fortunate. I saw a dry water source today at West Carry Pond Lean-to, the first dried up source I've seen in five and a half months.I got to Pierce Pond Lean-to (where I'm staying the night) sooner than I had expected and immediately jumped in the pond. This area is the most perfect spot for a shelter. The water was warm but refreshing and the pond is extremely picturesque and may be my favorite pond in Maine so far.      Tonight is a beautiful night and I have my tent set up right at the water's edge so I have a perfect view of the entire pond. If it doesn't rain tonight I'll be able to see the sunrise without having to leave my tent. I saw a loon close by and am hoping to hear their calls tonight. Perhaps I may even see a moose in the morning?
Date: 2009-08-21
From: Pierce Pond LEan-to

To: US201 - Caratunk, ME to Portland, ME
Miles today: 4.0

I woke up a couple times early this morning to peek out of my tent to see the sunrise over the pond, however the weather was overcast and there was no sunrise to be seen. This is the first morning I haven't woken up to clear blue sky in at least a week. I was also hoping to see a moose wading around in the pond but I scanned the pond shoreline a few times and unfortunately didn't see one. I fell back asleep until 7am or so and was hiking with Hot Sauce by 8.The hiking between Pierce Pond and US201 (where Dom was picking us up for the wedding) was easy and took less time than we had expected. We got to the Kennebec River where we were greeted by a guy hired by the AMC to transport hikers across the river by canoe, free of charge. Some hikers choose to ford the Kennebec instead of taking the ferry and we were told that 7 people have forded it this year so far by swimming across with their packs. Most ended up a ways downstream but apparently one person was able to get across to the other side successfully. The river is cold, wide, and can get up to 6 feet deep halfway across (and also took a hiker's life many years ago), so I was grateful for this free service provided by the ATC. Dom picked us up right at the road and then we started the 2.5-hour drive back down to Portland, driving with his head out the window for the first 30 minutes because of how horrible Hot Sauce and I smelled. He was horrified, but we couldn't smell it. We stopped at McDonalds for french fries and then picked up takeout at Bangkok Thai, one of my favorite restaurants in Portland. It feels good to be home!
Date: 2009-08-22
From: Portland, ME

To: Portland, ME
Miles today: 0.0

Today was a fun-filled day: Brunch at home and then Charlie and Leah's wedding (which was amazing) followed by the reception and LOTS of dancing. My feet were hurting so much by the end of night that I could barely hobble to my car. Hopefully they will recover overnight since we are heading back to the trail tomorrow afternoon!
Date: 2009-08-23
From: Portland, ME to US201 - Caratunk, Maine

To: Pleasant Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: broken clouds

I relieved when I woke up this morning that my feet were feeling much better than they were last night. Thanks goodness, or it would have been a painful last stretch. I took care of some last minute things at home and kind of wished I could veg on the couch all day. However, I knew I had to get back to the trail if I wanted to summit Katahdin on Sept 2. There will be lots of time to veg post-trail.Dom, Hot Sauce, and I went to the post-wedding brunch then began the drive back to Caratunk. We pigged out on the drive north and I was so full by the time we got to the trailhead that I could barely move. Even though Monson is only 2.5 days north of Caratunk, I'm probably carrying upwards of 4 days worth of food. I know it's overkill, but I've been carrying extra food ever since I almost ran out before both Andover and Stratton. My pack feels pretty light, so why not carry a few extra pounds??The 5.7 miles from the road to the shelter were mostly flat and went by quickly. I was still feeling full but couldn't pass up cold sodas that had been left in a cooler just before the shelter. We were a bit surprised upon arrival at the shelter that we were the only ones there. We took a stroll down to Pleasant Pond bu the no-see-ums were out in full force so we didn't stick around the water for too long.The other day an Irish SOBO told Hot Sauce and I that Pleasant Pond was so beautiful that it made him cry. Ever since we heard that we've been looking forward to staying at this shelter, expecting it to be the most maginificent place (and trust me, we've seen some maginificent places!). The pond was nice and all, but didn't even compare to some of the other ponds we've been to recently - Horns Pond, Pierce Pond, West Carry Pond, etc etc. Pleasant Pond is inhabited with summer camps, motor boats, and both the pond and shelter can be accessed by a well maintained dirt road. The two of us are tenting in the rain not too far from the shelter. I am definitely looking forward to sleeping for a good 10 hours tonight to catch up on some much needed shut-eye. We can hear the loons from down at the pond - they have a unique but creepy call that sometimes resembles that of a howling coyote.T minus 10 days. The countdown begins...
Date: 2009-08-24
From: Pleasant Pond Lean-to

To: Moxie Bald Lean-to
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: scattered clouds

I had to pack up a wet tent this morning but at least the rain had stopped. After leaving the shelter we immediately climbed Pleasant Pond Mountain. The summit was socked in a cloud and unfortunately there were no views. The overnight rain had left the rocks and roots extremely slippery and I had a few close calls as I carefully made my way up the slick rock faces. The morning was spent concentrating on not falling and I was excited to see that the sky was clearing and I hoped that the sun would dry the rocks off a bit. We feasted on blueberries and blackberries in a clearing below some powerlines - these were the juiciest and tastiest blackberries I've seen so far on this trip. Hot Sauce and I stopped for lunch on a dock on Moxie Pond, a scenic spot right before Baker Stream. Crossing Baker Stream required us to remove our shoes and socks and change into our crocs since the water level came up to our shins. We've heard that there will be 3 deep river crossings tomorrow so this one was a nice warm-up.Climbing up to Moxie Bald was a highlight of the day. It started pouring as we approached the summit but I took cover under a giant rock slab that protected me from the rain. Hot Sauce, Half Moon, and Sunbeam joined me under the rock slab and we chatted as we waited out the rain. It was just a quick, passing shower and we were able to resume our ascent of Moxie Bald. The views from the top were incredible...the clouds were dark and stormy, making the colors of the mountains, valleys, and ponds in the distance vibrant and beautiful. Hot Sauce joined me as I cooked dinner on top of the bald and then we hiked together down to the shelter. The pond at the shelter is amazing and I found a decent tent site at the shoreline. This spot is known as being a good place to see moose and I'm tenting about 3 feet from a pile of moose poop. Maybe I'll get lucky tonight?Half Moon, Sunbeam, T-Suds, and Doc are also at the shelter tonight. As I was looking for a place to set my tent up, T-Suds said "Wow, you smell good!" and I passed by her. I was shocked! Really??? Me?? Hot Sauce replied "Wait...you think she smells good??". It was hilarious, but I accepted the compliment, it's the first time in almost 6 months that someone has commented on my smell being good. Usually it's the complete opposite
Date: 2009-08-25
From: Moxie Bald Lean-to

To: ME15 - Monson, Maine
Miles today: 17.9

Although I didn't see it, I was pretty sure I heard a moose plunge into the pond this morning around 3am. I don't think a human could have made a splash that big, and I was tempted to get out of my tent to take a look, but I was too cozy and it was really dark. There were 3 river fords today, just as we had heard. Each one required us to remove our shoes and socks and it was actually quite refreshing to wade through the cold river water. I was all geared up for the first crossing (Bald Mountain Stream) and totally bit it on a flat, slippery rock and ended up in the river on my side, soaked up to my waist, wet backpack and all. Hot Sauce and I laughed for a solid 5 minutes and I kept chuckling about it for the rest of the day. The second two (the West and East branches of the Piscataquis River) were crossed without problems but I was nervous about slipping again. The terrain was really nice today but my feet were killing me as we approached Monson. Even if it's flat, 18 miles is far. We arrived in Monson around 5:30 and checked in to Shaw's, a nice hostel right in town. We are splurging on a room with a TV instead of staying in the bunkroom...this is our last trail town, so why not? Hot Sauce's friend Jess (or Spano) is joining us for the remainder of the trip, and the 3 of us grabbed dinner at the Lakehore House (also a hostel in town) Pub. Great food, service, and beer selection. I picked up my last maildrop (number 24!!) and am packing up my food bag and backpack for the last time. Thanks to all who have been following me along the way...the notes in my guestbook have been encouraging and helpful and have been a big part of my journey. If you haven't signed my guestbook, please do so! This will be my last entry until I summit Katahdin on Sept 2nd - my pocketmail subscription has expired, so I am planning on updating my journal upon my arrival in Portland after I summit. I will be adding the remaining entries, adding photos to the entries dating back to VT, updating my gear page, writing up some post-trail thoughts, and will be including some post-trail information for those planning future thru-hikes (resupply info, maildrops, canister fuel availability, etc etc). I will also be hiking the 25 miles I missed when i was sick in PA in a couple weeks, so I will add an entry about that.   So stay tuned!T minus 1 week and counting...it's going to be a bittersweet ending.
Date: 2009-08-26
From: ME15 - Monson, Maine

To: Wilson Valley Lean-to
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I had a great night of sleep in my last real bed until I get back home to Portland. People have been raving about the breakfast at Shaw's so I was eager to go downstairs and see for myself. I ordered #2, which means I got 2 of everything: eggs, french toast, and homefries. It was a lot of food, and I couldn't believe Tortoise had ordered #4 yesterday. It was delicious and Dawn (the hostel owner) gave it to me on the house because she is also a Bates alum. We had wanted to leave Monson at 10am but didn't start hiking until noon. Lots of hikers we hadn't seen in several states started showing up at the hostel and we heard they are all (as many as 15 people!) also planning on summiting Katahdin on September 2. A little worried about this, I called Katahdin Stream Campground to make reservations for the night of Sept 1 rather than getting turned away at The Birches if there are already 12 thru-hikers in front of us. I'm glad I got that taken care of so I won't be stressing about that over the next week.After getting dropped off at the road, Hot Sauce, Spano, and I immediately entered the 100-mile Wilderness. There is a warning sign at the trailhead saying not to attempt the wilderness with no less than 10 days of food. We are only carrying 6 days...livin' on the edge, I guess! I went a little crazy with this last resupply and my food bag feels like it could weigh 20 pounds...maybe the heaviest it's been since Virginia. I didn't mind though...this is my last stretch and I want to eat well!The three of us walked together most of the day and stopped several times for snack breaks. We had a great break next to Little Wilson Falls, which I think might be the tallest waterfall on the AT. We ran into a freshman orientation trip from Bowdoin College...I wonder if we'll be running into lots of other groups throughout the wilderness. We all successfully forded Big Wilson Stream and just before were given several Odwalla bars from a few Bangor High School students. We are tenting behind the shelter tonight, and Intents, Lax, and another guy are also here. We found a paperback book on the bedside table in our room at Shaw's entitled "Single Mom Seeks..." by Teresa Hill and decided to carry it through the wilderness and take turns reading chapters aloud each night. Already we can tell that this will be a horrible book but hopefully it will keep us entertained over the next week.
Date: 2009-08-27
From: Wilson Valley Lean-to

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

The temperatures dropped overnight, probably into the 40s at least, and gusts of wind whipped through our campsite. I heard 3 different tree branches break and crash to the ground and I could actually feel the ground vibrate. The third one fell around 3:30am and sounded pretty close to both my and Intents tents, and I could tell Intents was out of his tent assessing the damage. I got out of my tent too, but it was hard to tell which branch had fallen since there were downed branches and trees all over. Spano and Hot Sauce heard us walking around and they got out of their tent also - party at 3:30am! Luckily that was the last branch to fall because the wind had died down significantly and I was able to sleep peacefully.Today I fell into Long Pond Stream while trying to cross. I slipped and fell backwards into the water, getting completely soaked up to my chest. I finally made it across and took my camera out of its pouch right away. It was completely submerged in the water and I could tell it was internally damaged when it wouldn't turn on. Drats! Tip of the Day: When crossing a river, always put your camera in a safe place.Hot Sauce, Spano, and I took a 2-hour long lunch break on Barren Slide. The weather was perfect, hardly a cloud in the sky, and we read a chapter of that book aloud. During the break I tried some gear out, especially my shoes, socks, and camera. My camera dried out but still did not turn on. I was sad to realize that I wouldn't have a camera for the rest of the trip but Hot Sauce generously let me use hers. We got into camp around 8pm, set up our tents in a nice spot behind the shelter, then cooked dinner in the dark. I ended up walking the last 30 minutes to the shelter in complete darkness since I was too lazy to pull my headlamp out of my pack. I realized this wasn't the smartest choice since the trail had become real steep, fearing I'd trip on a root or rock really badly and risk my chances of finishing this hike so close to the end. But I made it to the shelter without incident, whew! Other hikers here tonight are Intents, Lax, and Salty.
Date: 2009-08-28
From: Chairback Gap Lean-to

To: Logan Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: overcast clouds

We awoke to another chilly but beautiful morning and I felt refreshed after a great night of sleep. Today's highlight was hiking up and over the 4 peaks which make up White Cap. There is an amazing view of Katahdin to the north from the summit of White Cap, and it looked mostly flat from here to Katahdin except for a couple humps along the way. We are 70 miles away however it seems much closer. This was our first unobstructed view of Katahdin and it stared us in the face as we admired its vastness. The view to the south was just as amazing...we could see as far as the Bigelows and it was crazy to think that we were there not too long ago. Hot Sauce, Spano, and I hung out on top for a while with Intents, Lax, and Salty, then cooked dinner as the sun began to set. We are tenting in a nice little nook in front of the shelter close to the brook. The ridgerunner mentioned that there is a 100% chance of rain tomorrow.
Date: 2009-08-29
From: Logan Brook Lean-to

To: Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to
Miles today: 23.1
Weather: light rain

The rain started around 5am and it was freezing cold. I started packing up at 5:30 and left with Hot Sauce and Spano at 7:30 in the rain. We felt the effects of Hurricane Danny all day...gusty, cold, rain. The terrain was mostly flat today which was a great change of pace and it only took us 11 hours to hike 23 miles, including breaks. It was in the low 50s all day and today was the first day in months that I've worn both my rainjacket and hat while hiking. We really wanted to stay at Antlers Campsite tonight, a very scenic site located on Jo-Mary Lake. Spano stayed here last summer and saw a moose swimming around the lake. Because of the rain we pushed on 3 more miles to the shelter where we could hang up our wet gear and sleep in the shelter without having to set up our wet tents.I was all cozy in my sleeping bag in the shelter until I looked up with my headlamp and realized there were huge, 2-inch long wolf spiders all over the shelter ceiling. O.M.G. I ended up setting my tent up inside the shelter at 9pm so I could sleep peacefully knowing that the spiders above me wouldn't fall on my face.
Date: 2009-08-30
From: Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to

To: Pollywog Stream
Miles today: 15.8

I slept great and we were all relieved to see patches of blue sky above us. I had mentally prepared myself for rain all day today because I thought that was in the forecast, and was very happy to see that the rain had stopped overnight. The hiking was straightforward today and there's not much to note except that we had a small climb today up Nesuntabunt Mountain, which is our very last mountain until Katahdin. We found a great little tentsite next to Pollywog Stream and got in to camp before dark. It's sad to think that this is my 3rd to last night on the trail!