morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-08-08
From: West Carry Pond Lean-to

To: Little Bigelow lean-to
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Start - 9:25End - 3:28Best Part - Interviewed for 'Maine the Way'Biggest Complaint - Uphill still hard/Not hiking with anyoneToday was just 7.7 miles but now we're starting to get some uphill. I've been hiking long enough uphill should be no big deal by now but it was putting me in a bad mood. I think I'm not enjoying this hike much because I'm not really hiking with anyone. Earlier I was ending up at the same lean-tos with Cosmo and Wanda. They're way ahead of me now. Almost all of the shelters have a journal hikers write in. That way you know how far ahead of you other hikers are. I hadn't been checking them but today I did. It said some hiker was trying to catch up with Cosmo and Wanda, Cosmo and Wanda were trying to catch up with Lady and the Tramp. This lean-to has a two seat privy so Tramp responded to someone's question saying that Lady and the Tramp don't poop together, privy time is private time. It doesn't happen too often but I was the only hiker at this shelter tonight. A couple of day hikers showed up, Chris and Jackie. Chris is an independent journalist/photographer. You can check his website at cbennettphoto.com.  He's taking photos and writing an article on the A.T. for 'Maine The Way'. Maine The Way started as an Instagram account that took off and became very popular. Now they're going to come out with a quarterly magazine. He asked me if he could interview me for his article. I said OK. He basically asked me why I decided to hike the A.T. He also wanted to take pictures. I switched from wearing my hat to wearing my bandana. He took pictures of me sitting at the shelter and also standing with my hiking stick with the woods in the background. I didn't get to put on makeup or get my hair done but I did kind of feel like a model.
Date: 2017-08-09
From: Little Bigelow lean-to

To: Avery Memorial Campsite
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Start - 7:54End - 4:15Best Part - The viewsBiggest Complaint - Trail to tough for original planMy plan was to do 10.2 miles to Horn's Pond lean-tos. Two lean-tos here instead of one. This 10.2 miles included ascending Little Bigelow Mtn. and Bigelow Mtn., easily my toughest day so far. It turns out the tough trail today was three times tougher than what I'd been doing. I knew about the elevation change coming up but I'd forgotten how tough the trail in Maine can get. Not just rocks and roots but climbing up and down steep piles of rocks. Lots and lots of never ending steep piles of rocks. Fortunately 7.2 miles into my 10.2 mile day there's a campsite in the gap between Avery peak and Bigelow mountain west peak. I'd been hiking 8 hours and I'd have to hike at least another three hours to get to Horn's Pond lean-tos over lots of treacherous uphill and downhill rock climbs. I might have made it by dark but considering how tired I was already I would likely have taken a fall. I convinced myself it would be a wrong decision to try to go on. The views today were fantastic. By the time you get to Avery peak you're above tree line. There's probably a half mile of 360 degree views. Getting there wasn't so fantastic.
Date: 2017-08-10
From: Avery Memorial Campsite

To: The White Wolf Inn
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: clear sky

Start - 7:43End - 3:05Best Part - Changing plan to make it easierBiggest complaint - Didn't find Princess Bubblegum's sandals The lady at the next tent platform last night called out asking if there were any south bounders. I said I was southbound. She lost her sandals about a mile back. She and her friend Tin Cup were north bound but would be shuttled back to Stratton. If I found her sandals she'd buy me an ice cream. Unfortunately I didn't find them.  When I got to ME route 27 Tish was waiting for me. The plan was to spend two nights at the White Wolf Inn in Stratton and continue hiking. I decided to not spend a zero day in Stratton and go back to the RV instead. I'm spending two zero days and changing my hiking plan. I'll hike north from Rangeley, ME back to Stratton and then hike south from Rangeley to Andover to complete my hike. Some of the terrain will be easier northbound than southbound. The hiking has gotten tough and I'm trying to what I can to make it easier. When I tell people my story a lot of them have been congratulating me prematurely and I'm trying to do what I can to make sure I actually do complete this hike. I'm ready for this hiking to be done.
Date: 2017-08-13
From: RV

To: Piazza Rock Lean-to
Miles today: 1.8
Weather: light rain

Start - 4:12End - 5:14Best Part - Pork ChopsBiggest Complaint - Nothing in journal about Cosmo and WandaSince I was still at the RV lunch was great. Pork Chops and salad. It was great. Another two hour drive back to the trail. Thanks Tish.We drove to Rangeley and had an ice cream. We drove 9 miles east and there's a parking lot where the A.T. crosses. It was after 4 o'clock but I only had 1.8 miles to the lean-to. There was one hiker in the shelter. He graduated high school and was spending a year figuring things out or something like that before starting college. His thing was bringing ingredients and spices to make his meals. Lots of dehydrated food. He even had lots of dehydrated eggs. My experience is that making eggs from dehydrated eggs usually doesn't turn out to well. The next morning at the next shelter he commented that this time they turned out more like eggs. We went to bed around 8:00 and slept till 7:00.
Date: 2017-08-14
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-to

To: Poplar Ridge Lean-to
Miles today: 8.9

Start 8:26End - 6:30Best Part - Ran into Cozmo and WandaBiggest Complaint - Pulled a muscle  There were too many mountains today. First Saddle Back mountain at 4120 feet. One and half miles later you have The Horn at 4020 feet. After that is Saddleback Junior at a messily 3655. Of course you have to hike down and up the gaps in between.  The first mountain was above tree line and the second was almost above tree line. On the way up The Horn I ran into Cozmo and Wanda having lunch. It was good to see them again. We ran into each other because I skipped ahead and now we were hiking opposite directions. I took a break and we enjoyed a good talk. I will likely never see them again. Half way hiking down the horn I slipped and pulled a groin muscle. I swore a lot. Let me repeat that. I swore a lot. This is what I didn't want to happen. It hurt some but I kept hiking. Then halfway down Saddleback Junior I slipped again and gave my already sour muscle a good jerk. Now it hurt quite a bit. It hurt to do a lot of the things I needed to do to navigate the steep downhill rock climbs. This made deciding how to navigate difficult spots take longer. My 8.9 mile day took 10 hours and I was hurting pretty good by the time I reached the shelter. I decided I'd have to do a zero day the next day. I was more tired than hungry and since I'd have to stretch my food I skipped supper. A.T. hiking is not all fun and games.
Date: 2017-08-15
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-to

To: Poplar Ridge Lean-to
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Best Part - Journal entry in FrenchBiggest Complaint - Privy too far away  What do you do on a zero day at a shelter in the middle of the woods? One thing you do is read the shelter journal. One entry was in french. Finding an entry in french isn't really surprising since Maine borders Quebec. One person told me two thirds of the radio stations in this area are in french. I tried translating it but I had to use Google Translate a lot. I decided to skip breakfast and use my extra supper, a Raman, for lunch. This would put the number of meals I needed and the numbers I had equal. In the past I have changed my three packages of oatmeal a day breakfast to two packages a day.  It threatened rain in the afternoon but didn't start till around five thirty or six. Lots of thru hikers were showing up. The shelter designed for six ended up holding seven. Most of the other hikers had set up their tents before the heavy rain. One rain drenched hiker had to just stand under the front of the shelter roof and waIt for it to stop. We had the seven staying in the shelter and probably another eight standing room only hikers hanging out talking, cooking, eating and whatever while we waited for the rain to stop. A lot of humanity in a small area.
Date: 2017-08-16
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-to

To: Spaulding Mountain Lean-to
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: broken clouds

Start - 7:47End - 3:27Best Part - Able to hike with pulled muscleBiggest Complaint - Tweaked pulled muscle  It had stopped raining the evening before. That still means wet roots and rocks the next morning. Then to make matters worse it rained briefly in the morning to make sure the trail would be wet.  About twelve minutes after I started to hike I took a chance getting down and beyond a wet granite boulder and slipped. This tweaked my pulled muscle. Not a good way to start the day. It was definitely a situation where I should have taken the advice that I recommend to lots of hikers; when in doubt, but slide. It wasn't too bad and I hiked on. Now it wasn't a case of hurting a lot but more of being a case of being sore all day.  I did come to a river that was either a risky rock hop or a take your boots off to ford. Doing a risky rock hop with a bum leg is a bad idea. It was another take your boots off ford. Time consuming but not a real problem.   Seven thru hikers showed up around 5:00 PM at the shelter. Two pushed on for another six miles. The rest stayed but they used their tents instead of staying in the shelter. They made a fire. Most thru hikers don't make a fire but this group did. I noticed several used the fire to make supper. One way thru hikers make their packs lighter is to go 'no cook'. Not carrying a stove and fuel and mostly eating food you don't need to cook is a way to get your load lighter. I'd guess they carry some food to cook and only do that if they take time to make a fire. They were all talking amongst themselves and I was just in the background listening. To break the ice I asked how many miles the A.T. is this year. Many of them in unison answered, "Two thousand one hundred and eighty-nine". The trail gets longer each year when changes are made to make very difficult sections easier. Tomorrow will be a big day for these thru hikers. They will be reaching a plaque showing they are 200 miles from Mt. Kathadin, the northern terminus of the A.T. They will also have completed 2000 miles. As of this day I have fifty miles to go.
Date: 2017-08-17
From: Spaulding Mountain Lean-to

To: Stratton
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

Start - 9:53End - 8:01Best Part - On a missionBiggest Complaint - Took longer than expected The day started with a mile uphill. Since I was only going to go 6.2 miles and it was cold and windy in the morning I didn't get started until 9:53. When the trail reached the top of Spaulding mountain there was a couple there pointing out there was a steep 150 yard side trail to the very top. I said no thank you. When I discussed my hiking plans they told me it was supposed to rain tomorrow morning. I said it was supposed to rain tomorrow afternoon. They told me actually it was supposed to rain in the morning and clear up in the afternoon. A short while later I was going to call Tish. I had plenty of battery so I decided to check the weather myself. Indeed it was 60% chance of rain in the morning with 1/4 of an inch of rain possible. Rain on steep up and down rock climbs can lead to injuries. My leg was feeling pretty good. I could move it any which way and it didn't hurt. I checked what time it would take to hike the 13.5 miles all the way to Stratton. It looked like I could make it before dark. I called Tish and told her I might change my plan and try to make it to Stratton. I made it a short phone call and started hiking with a purpose. So far I had been taking it easy and it felt good to be pushing it.  I wanted to get to Crocker crique campsite, my original destination, by 2:00 P.M. I didn't make it till 2:19. I took 12 minutes to eat lunch and kept hiking. I still had a mile to get to the top of South Crocker mountain. I thought I was near the top and asked a south bounder if the trail went to top or just skirted the top. He said it did indeed go all the way to the top. It seemed like it took forever but I got there and called Tish to let her know I was definitely hiking on to Stratton. I told her I'd probably get there around 7:00. Another 5.2 miles to go. I took fifty minutes to do the half a mile downhill and a half a mile uphill to North Crocker mountain. Now the rest was almost all downhill. I stopped to ask a south bounder how far to the road. I thought maybe a another mile but he said two to three more miles. I figured if it got past 7:00 I'd call Tish and let her know I was still hiking but I wouldn't be able to tell how much left to go because my A.T. Guide only referenced a spring four miles from the road. The later it got and the darker it got I was getting worried it would get dark before I got to the end of the trail. I just kept incessantly hiking. I didn't even stop to check the time or to call Tish. The darkness was starting to make it hard to see the trail. If it had gotten any darker I would have had to put my headlamp on. I reached the road at 8:01. In retrospect I really should have called Tish. I had been totally focused on hiking and getting to the end before it got dark.
Date: 2017-08-20
From: RV

To: Black Brook Campsite
Miles today: 10.1

Start 8:02End 5:30Best Part - Only four more daysBiggest Complaint - Rain  I decided to do this last 36.5 mile section northbound also. Since Tish is here to drop me off and pick me up I can decide which direction looks easier.  Well I got to use my rain gear today. It wasn't supposed to rain. I guess even a small chance of rain is still a chance of rain. It drizzled for about an hour, stopped for half an hour and then drizzled for another twenty minutes. Of course it drips off the trees for awhile and all the plants you brush up against are wet. After awhile I noticed the plants I brushed up against weren't wet. I had been the victim of an isolated shower. Not everyone got rained on. Lucky me.   Arriving at the campsite early was a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect to get there until 6:30 but I got there at 5:30. Sometimes the guide is wrong. Sometimes my estimates are wrong.  As I was putting up my tent I was thinking this will probably be the last time I'll be putting up my tent on the A.T. The next two nights are shelters and I likely will stay in them. Over the years I've learned the pros and cons of shelters and tents. If you want to sleep in, pitch your tent. If there aren't too many people in the shelter, stay in the shelter especially if you expect rain.   Since this is only a campsite, no shelter available, someone put a journal in the privy. Some people commented, 'clever idea'. Write a journal entry while you poop. There was no entry from Cosmo and Wanda.  I said the 'Best Part' is 'Only four more days'. This tuff trail in southern Maine has made completing the trail a chore. More than once I've considered saying the hell with it, I don't have to finish. Anyways, only four more days.
Date: 2017-08-21
From: Black Brook Campsite

To: Bemis Mountain Lean-to
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: light rain

Start - 8:18End - 6:48Best Part - Ran into Cosmo and Wanda againBiggest Complaint - Miles are too long  I got a late start. Just didn't want to get up and I thought 8.7 miles shouldn't take too long. I knew the first 2.8 miles were uphill ascending Old Blue Mountain and the first 0.8 of that would be real steep but after that it shouldn't be too bad. It took me almost two hours to do the first 0.8 miles. I actually think my A.T. Guide was wrong but it sure was tough. It just doesn't seem like it should take 10.5 hours to hike 8.7 miles. Another day where I was totally exhausted by the end of the day. They say southern Maine is tough and they're right.  I did take about 10-15 minutes to stop and talk with Cosmo and Wanda. My decision to do Andover to Rangeley northbound while they're going southbound meant we got to meet one more time. The family hiking southbound also passed by while we were talking. Seeing a six year old girl with little hiking sticks and little gaters (covers for your socks and boot tops) is really something to see. She and her mom lead the way while the twelve year old boy and the dad follow soon thereafter. They were staying in their tent at the Poplar Ridge shelter the other evening when it was raining. I noticed the dad and the son would hang out at the shelter during the rain then later the mom and the daughter would hang out at the shelter while the dad and the son would be in the tent. I guess all four in the tent at the same time can get crowded.  Well tomorrow is only 8.3 miles. I hope they're not more of these tough longer than normal miles like I had today.
Date: 2017-08-22
From: Bemis Mountain Lean-to

To: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: clear sky

Start - 7:22End - 3:15Best Part - Lunch with TishBiggest Complaint - Took a spill  Today I hike over ME 17 right at an overlook where there's parking to view the overlook. Tish met me there with pop and apples. It was most the way up my last big uphill climb and knowing Tish was meeting me there was a big mood booster.  I managed to take a spill on a granite slab where my foot went out from under me. I bruised my hip and elbow. My elbow needed a bandage and I'm a little soar but no major issues.  My last evening on the trail had several interesting people. There was an economics professor from the Czech Republic, a college kid who had been born in Nova Scotia, a lady card dealer from Colorado, and a man from some other part of Colorado. He had been laid off. I didn't catch what his job had been but he commented that after spending several months on the A.T. he's thinking about changing to some job where he won't be inside all day.  The man from the Czech Republic, along with being a interesting person, uses Polar Pure to purify his water. That's what I use. It's a small bottle with iodine crystals. You fill the bottle with water and you put capfuls of the iodine solution in your water bottles. In all my  hiking the trail this is the first person using the same thing I've been using. He also collects mushrooms along the trail, cuts them up, boils them in water and adds Raman. He said this batch turned out pretty good.  When I mentioned I'm trying to learn french he said he was too. He showed me the book he was using. I could read the short stories that were in french but where they discussed vocabulary which showed a french word and it's equivalent in Czech that didn't do me any good.  I'm starting to get sentimental about finishing my A.T. hiking. It's times like these where you meet interesting people that makes this fun.
Date: 2017-08-24
From: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to

To: Finish Line
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: clear sky

Start - 7:50End - 3:16Best Part - Finally doneBiggest Complaint - Fell in a muddy bog  After getting sentimental last evening visiting with fellow hikers, this morning I had to do more uphill hiking. I will be glad when this is over. I will admit you get a great feeling when you reach the top of a long uphill climb, but doing the actual hiking could be described as 'not fun'.   One fun thing I did today was over estimate my ability to make a wide step to get over a bog section. The momentum of myself and my backpack could not be stopped and I fell in a muddy bog. Wet boots and muddy legs resulted. Lunch break was coming up soon so I switched to dry socks then.  Another hiker also stopped at the same campsite for lunch. He had been born and spent the first seven years of his life in north Africa so he had learned french. Then after moving to America his classmates would ask him to say things in french and would laugh when he did. He then stopped speaking french altogether and basically forgot how to speak french.   I called Tish and gave her an estimate of when I would arrive at the road. Only 4.8 more miles. It turned out that that part of the trail was pretty easy and I actually got there over an hour early. I sat on a rock just before the end so I wouldn't finish until she arrived. Silly me.  As to the question of whether I would want to do this again. If I was 20 years old I would say yes. I'm not in my 20's anymore. No more long distance hiking for now.  Happy trails
Date: 2017-02-11
To: A little about me!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

And now for a little more info about who I am. I retired from teaching in 07 so I could Thru hike the AT. That year I completed all of the Trail except the last 200 miles, because of a few broken toe joints. It was very traumatic for me to have to stop that close to the end, but I did go back and finish it as soon as I could hike again. Since then, I've section hiked with a group of wonderful women. We have made it from Springer to the New Hampshire border since 2008 and will someday finish section hiking the trail together. I looked forward to those section hikes each year, to renew my friendships, and my love of nature. When you section hike, you actually learn a lot more about the AT and its surrounding area because of all the planning and shuttles you have to secure. You also get to stay in many small towns, hostels, motels, and B&B's you don't when you are Thru hiking. But the longing to be out there, to Thru hike, has increased to the point of obsession again! On one of my section hikes, I met someone I hiked with in 07 and he said to me, "Well, you know that the trail ruins you!" It gets into your blood and you just have to be out there among the white blazes. As I have said, I live near the Trail. I moved to Southwest VA many years ago from flat Long Island. I immediately fell in love with the mountains. I went from feeling like I to have my toes in the ocean to needing to have my feet in boots on a path. It started with day hiking but progressed to backpacking, and after I went on a weekend hike with my two sons, I caught "white blaze fever."And my running "family" has become a very important part of my life. As I've mentioned Fleet Feet Sports is a local store in the area and has various programs for walkers and runners. I started participating in their running programs years ago and worked up to the marathon group and even became a mentor for the 11-12 pace group. After my broken leg I went back to the beginning but have since gotten back to the 1/2 marathon bracket. Between the hiking I've done and running at least three times a week, I think I'm ready to try this adventure again. I'm sure if you follow me up the Trail, you might learn more about me as a person than you want to know ??Walk to a shelter Set up your camp for the night Rest your weary bones
Date: 2017-02-16
To: On my way!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I was up at 4:00 AM to get ready to fly to Atlanta at 6:00 but American Airline had another plan. To get anywhere from Roanoke you must go through Charlotte and both flights were delayed about an hour. But I finally made it to Atlanta and on the MARTA to be picked up by the Hiker Hostel. I'll be glad tomorrow when I only have to follow the white blazes!!Josh and Pootz (I hiked with him some in 07 and his wife M&M) arrived shortly after noon. They are working at the hostel for awhile. We made a stop at Wendy's for lunch and I was settled into my bunk by 2:00 PM. Two other hikers are here. Tyler is in my bunk room and Take My Time is upstairs. Both of them have already started, but are taking a rest break here. I spent the afternoon trying to fit all my "stuff " back in my pack. I know I had it in there once! So the rest of the day, I just hung around, not doing much of anything, except enjoying the company of hikers and resting. I guess I'm ready and it doesn't really matter as tomorrow I step back on the AT!The weather looks good for tomorrow and that is a plus. Up high in the airMy thoughts drift toward the dayI begin my trek!