morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2020-08-27
From: Brown Mt Shelter

To: Fish Lake
Miles today: 12.5

It's weird that I would almost call today a Nero. But I got into Fish Lake around 1p. Got a soda. Found the hiker campsite. Took a shower (!) with HOT water (!!) that, according to the coin machine should have only lasted 3 minutes and instead was definitely closer to 15 (!!!). I had a burger with jalepenos and cheese and some weird secret sauce...no fries...I got a salad?...I know. It's totally weird. But sometimes I want vegetables, even when they're not really great ones. Assessed the state of my feet (not great. Really bad blistering spot from...my custom orthodics...dun dun dun!!!! [Yes, Shari, I will email ASAP!]) But the store has large moleskin blister sheets, so I tried to put in a small buffer. We'll see what happens. I charged my phone. I washed my socks. Oh man...hiker life is -exciiiiting-But here's the thing I love about places like this - they expect the hikers. And so it is also often a spot that trail angels, trail workers, or folks that just want to hear your story hang out. So today while I was eating my burger, I got to meet the guy that services that sweet sweet water pump we had at the shelter last night. He had stories and he wanted to know what my plan was and he offered up some alternate places to think about (which I will keep in mind for another time). And we touched on politics in a way that made him say, upon leaving, "Well, sounds like I don't need to tell you to make sure you're registered to vote!" Really cool guy. Apparently his wife is a Forest Ranger as well and man she sounds like someone I want to hang out with.I nearly forgot that the day started off with me being the last to start walking (surprised? Didn't think so) and then getting to watch the entire family of deer, including two adorable and very skittish fawns still with their spots, eat their breakfast. And the majority of today's walk was across a giant lava flow area from...a volcano to the East of the trail whose name I don't know. But they carved the trail thru the lava flows and then dumped red rocks all along it. It's a pretty impressive piece of trail. AND Mt. McLoughlin showed up in the views today. It's a pretty one. Bare on top this late in the season and quite pointy. If I had another couple of days, I'd think about sticking around to mend my feet and then go up it. But it looks like a heck of a climb, especially with a full pack on. Will save it for another adventure.It feels early (8p) but I'm quite tired and hoping if I get some extra sleep my body will heal itself a bit more overnight. Hoping for an earlier start tomorrow. Shooting for 13 miles and it starts with a climb - wheeeeee!
Date: 2020-08-28
From: Fish Lake

To: Island Lake
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: light rain

You know those National Geographic shots that zoom into a lake with a little island in the middle - fish jumping in slow motion to catch their evening snacks, dragonflies buzzing all around also in search of food. The sun just about to set and so the sky is a pinky rose graduating up to a clear blue that is slowly darkening over head? That's where I sit right now. It's a little bit chilly - I really wish I had packed a long sleeve layer, but alas...my jacket will have to do (and it has thus far). Now add into that beautiful photo: off in the distance along the side of the lake, just the black shapes of a mama bear fishing for dinner and the shadow of two cubs on the shore behind her. At least, I'm 90% certain that's what it is. I've been watching them for some time. But have no way to see them any more clearly thru the zoom on my camera, and no binoculars.I do wish the ladies were here tonight. No idea if they went further ahead on accident or got a late start and didn't make it this far. While I'm not worried about this wildlife off in the distance, it would feel better with company - just what with this being a wilderness area and all.Bears aside, what I was trying to get at in the beginning is that this is certainly an extraordinary spot. The park service guy I was chatting with yesterday mentioned that this lake was "disovered" by a guy named Waldo (he apparently did a lot of discovering in his time. Waldo Lake is further up the trail and apparently one of the clearest in the country). When they were here (1880s I think he said?), they chose a big tree to inscribe. It still stands, though mostly dead, probably in part due to the giant piece of bark they shaved off. There's a fence around it in much disrepair. A handful of trees around the campsite also look like they were inscribed in a similar manner. Its cool but also a little bit eerie with no one else here- kind of feels like a place that should be overrun with Boy Scout troops. It would be nice to share this with someone. The lack of hikers out makes this trip feel much stranger than those in the past. Well, still have to sleep. More miles in the morning. And I bet this lake look gorgeous during breakfast.
Date: 2020-08-29
From: Island Lake

To: Cliff Lake 
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: moderate rain

Today felt a little big like the AT. Up, up, down, up, down, up, down, down, down. Throw in some ridge walking and some gorgeous views. And even some cellphone service!! It was like a Christmas miracle. We all kind of know that if you get up a mountain or the right hillside, you can usually ping back onto the grid. But it's been so many days without a high point that I almost forgot to check. Nice to get a couple messages out and have pictures of my cat and tomatoes (so many tomatoes. Send me your recipes. I will be making salsa.) The only downfall of so much time up high today was that it was also sooooo exposed. And water was scarce. But all of these lakes dotted the land below...whoever made these trails really is a masochist. It's just not fair.At some point along the cliff, I met a NOBO...and his adventure cat! She was riding on top of his pack and not super thrilled with the heat either. They passed me. So it goes. A bit later another NOBO came from behind me while I was taking photos. She and I chatted for a bit and I learned she was with the guy and the cat! We lamented the heat and exposure and water. She started on ahead and we figured we'd see each other at whatever water appeared next. I finished the ridge and started the down, down, down section (which really is what my knee hates). Finally dropped into the trees. Kept checking Guthooks for a water source that had promising comments toward still existing. Turned a corner, and...tada! Friends! Sat and chatted with Mowgli (the guy) and Sunny Side Up. Sunny hiked the AT last year. They're both thinking of moving to Portland. We had things to discuss. So we sat and snacked and filtered water. It was nice. This part again felt like the before times. If I hadn't been nearing the end of a long day, daydreaming of a lake, and really not wanting to dry camp, I might have stuck it out for a few more miles with them. Instead, just a couple more miles down the trail, I turned off. Toward this gorgeous lake and the end of my day.This lake sits at the bottom of the cliff we spent so long traversing, so it felt appropriate to stop. I had a chance for a quick jump in (mostly with the hope of rinsing some salty sweat stains off) though not quite enough time for my clothes to dry...(hoping the hiker trick of putting them in my sleeping bag will help)And a group of 3 older women on a backpacking trip themselves have been lovely company from a campsite over. I expect I am going to fall asleep to the sounds of them playing cards. Tomorrow I have to walk out of camp with a completely full water stock. I either make the 20 mile trek straight thru to Mazama Campground just inside Crater Lake Park or get as close as I can in a day and pick up a Nero into camp on Monday. But I don't expect to see much if any water. And there is also a large burned area ahead which makes for less camping options. So...20 doesn't sound -fun- but it might be necessary. Thankfully my food bag is VERY light!It's early again (8p) but I am tired. And MUST get up early. Seriously, self, stop being such a slacker in the mornings...
Date: 2020-08-30
From: Cliff Lake 

To: Mazama Campground
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: light rain

I know what you're thinking. Brooklyn - what the hell was the reason behind doing another big mile day? What could be SO important?Well...for starters it was another long stretch of dry dry walking. I filled up my 2.5L of water bottles, stocked my hip pockets with snacks, and relished the fact that my food bag was delightfully lightweight. A good combo to be able to shoot far. Today took me thru a burn area - I believe from 2016? Not totally sure. Hours of walking thru black, white, and silver sticks still standing tall. Little patches of green starting to pop up. A few small purple flowers. And so much dust. I hit the burn probably around 10:30am. Being a hammock camper, there was no way I would even consider trying to find a spot to hang among toasted trees. It had an eerie beauty to it but I had to keep moving. By noon, there was still no end in site. So I stopped to let my shoes, socks, and feet dry out while I had lunch. It was starting to feel like walking on the surface of the sun. Every now and then, the trail would dip into a tiny green respite only to then spit you right back into gnarled, bent, and broken shells of a forest.Around 2pm, I stepped foot into Crater Lake National Park. Still a little burnt. And only 7 more, relatively flat, miles until the turn to the campground. I found the trail register in 2 more miles. All I wanted was real food ... and a soda (duh). I thought about stopping short and picking a nice spot as I quickly entered full forest area again. But...to what end? I was on track for 5p into camp and I could think of no reason not to. I mean, my feet hurt a little, but that's just life right now. So, I found the road, I found the campsite (which is huge and full of tourists...), and then -surprise!- i found my new friends Mowgli, Sunny Side Up, and their trusty trail cat. They had stayed around camp all day because they also wanted "real" food and apparently the kitchen is currently only open for dinner. So I got there right on time in fact. We sat around for far too long, was joined by another NOBO companion of theirs, and probably annoyed handful of tourists nearby on the patio. None of us cared about our volume or the content of our conversations. The sun started to go down - we put on jackets. The restaurant started to close - we ran in to use the bathrooms. The moon started to rise - we finally made very slow moves to part ways. Sadly I will not cross paths with them again - on trail at least. They have an agenda to finish and a lot of miles to catch. But in seeing them again, we were at least able to exchange social media handles. If they decide to roll thru Portland post trail, maybe their cat (Sher Kahn..sp?) can teach Penny how to be an adventure cat (not likely).And so, that is how a little bit of crazy, a whole lot of determination, and a voice in the back of your head saying "Yeah, you can make it there. Why stop now?" sometimes can really pay off. People say the trail provides. And I think all of us at dinner tonight got a little bit of what we needed.
Date: 2020-08-31
From: Mazama Campground

To: Mazama Campground
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I woke up in Mazama Campground this morning, the only hiker in the PCT campsite. I was extra lazy. After finally making myself crawl out of my warm cacoon to use the bathroom, I crawled back in, made my tea and oatmeal, sat and looked ahead at trail things and thought about mileage. Around 9 I think, I decided to go for a walk to try to find Post and PegLeg. Also to try to find a way to unobtrusively wash my clothes...due to Covid, all of the laundry and shower facilities are closed. In an awesome stroke of luck, I found the ladies and PegLeg's husband just as they were getting ready to run up to the camp store. They asked if I thought I could find a spot to hang my hammock on their campsite and offered water and wash basins to do my laundry. Perfection!All the things happened:LaundryActually moved to another larger campsiteLunchA couple hours(?) of playing HeartsTrip to the camp store/wifiPlanning for the next week (we're basically on the exact same schedule)DinnerRead a chapter of a book they're in the middle of - about the Essex, a whaling ship that broke after being rammed by a whale - and the first mate of which Melville based Ishmael off.And now - bed.This is a fun group and while not my typical kind of trail experience, I like their style quite a lot. It's a nice reminder that the trail isn't just about the miles. There are still ways to get the miles and make time for other things along the way (though it does usually involve waking up earlier). And I have to say, these ladies have at least one excellent trail angel helping us out for a couple days (Peg's husband). In the form of excellent food and some driving to trail heads so we can get some miles without our full packs. Mom and Dad, when I come for Georgia/Tennessee on the AT, you're going to have a really high bar set. :-)
Date: 2020-09-01
From: Mazama Campground

To: Grouse Hill
Miles today: 10.0

Today we slackpacked (only carried water, snacks, etc) the Crater Lake Rim Trail - a popular alternate to the PCT. The official PCT route swings way out to the West, still staying in Crater Lake National Park, but never actually giving you a view of the lake. So if you hold the a purist viewpoint of hiking the trail (not using alternates, only sticking to official routes, etc), you miss a true gem unless you take extra time to find a way to hike both trails. The Rim Trail is only about 11 miles long so this is totally possible, but would be a hassle to sort out unless you hitch backward and start again or have some kind of support.At any rate, there are very few things I could say about Crater Lake that would be as good as the photos I will post. And most of the photos likely still won't quite do it justice. The blue of the water was so pure that it almost doesn't seem real. And being able to see the way that the shore line of Wizard Island (the cinder cone from the eruption of Mt Mazama, which now sits inside the lake) drops and turns teal and still sort of looks like remnants of lava...it's just amazing. We got up early and Pat drove us up to the trail at 7a. We had decided to walk SOBO, so that our destination was the Rim Village coffee shop and hopefully some sort of pre lunch treat. By starting early, we hoped to limit the number of tourists we would have to contend with at viewpoints and also hoped to beat the heat. We mostly accomplished both. By the time we finished at 11:30, the Village area was hopping. And also severely lacking in Rootbeer. Mission accomplished, we headed back to camp. Lunch, repacking, planning, wifi time, dinner, cards, and reading have all followed.Tomorrow we start back out in earnest. But only a few more days for me before I head home to process tomatos and peppers in the garden. And a few days for me to contemplate if I'd like to jump ahead 100 miles a week later, leaving a gap in my progess, but staying with Post and PegLeg to complete the rest of the state. It sounds like fun...and while I'd like to just jam out the whole state...sometimes knowing you have friends with you is worth the change in plans.
Date: 2020-09-02
From: Grouse Hill

To: Theilsen Creek
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: light rain

Today we finally had to break down our awesome little base camp in Mazama Campground and start heading North again in earnest. However there were still 2 crucial jobs for Pat before he headed back home. At 7am he drove us again to the trailhead at the North side of Crater Lake sans packs. The three of us went for a brisk morning walk thru some incredibly flat and well tended trail. Three hours and nine miles later, Pat met us once again at a cute little trailhead with sandwiches and a five gallon water refill. Trail magic is so good - even when you know it's the plan.After basically a zero and a half, it was time once again to shoulder our full packs and begin trekking North toward the majestic peak of Mt Thielsen. A small resupply and full water bottles made everything feel heavier than our memories. I suggested that perhaps Pat put rocks in our packs as a cruel joke (he didn't).It was a slow and steady climb for the next 6 miles. As the trees began to thin out, we could see back to the Crater Lake Rim in the distance and the beautiful shores of Diamond Lake down below us. Thielsen itself played peekaboo just in front of us - never quite revealing it's full majesty until we reached the crossing of the trail up to the peak.We stayed for a bit to enjoy all the landscape that was laid out before us- Mt Bachelor and the Sisters peaks all out in the distance. While the craggy knife edge of Theilsen loomed at our backs. Thankfully, the PCT does not ask us to go up any further. Our minds were set on the creek of the same name that runs out of the mountain a couple of miles further along trail. I believe it was only about 3pm when we crossed the creek, discovered an excellent camp site on it's shores (with a view of the top point of the mountain), and were able to declare an end of the day.We all were looking forward to soaking feet and maybe legs in the creek. But...did I mention it is certainly mountain fed? It is like stepping into ice. Delicious to drink. Painful to spend more than a few moments in. I enjoy pouring water over my head as much as the next hiker, but today I settled for soaking my bandana and sort of bird bathing the dirt and sweat off instead of full immersion. Maybe someday I'll develop the ability to withstand colder experiences. But without a hot tub nearby, I won't hold my breath.
Date: 2020-09-03
To: Six Horse Spring
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: moderate rain

Today started like any other day. Wake up, breakdown camp, check water levels, tape feet, return to trail. We took a breakfast break (oatmeal and tea/coffee) about five miles in at the Oregon/Washington high point of the PCT...which was completely viewless - womp womp. Another five miles in (and a little extra), we arrived at Maidu Lake for a quick swim and some lunch. Have to say, as much as I love pouring a bottle of water over my head, being able to dunk my entire body into water in the middle of a hike day is even better. Not to mention I think I could feel my feet release some tension and swelling.Now, while we were sitting by the lake studying the map of the area (yes, we all actually carry real paper maps - Nat Geo in fact), PegLeg pointed out that she thinks it looks like there is a trail, other than the one we came in on, that leads back to the PCT. We had been lamenting that in order to have this lovely swim break, we still had to get back to the trail almost a mile and then still had six more to get to camp. Each of us took a turn studying the topography and agreed that, yes, it seems there must be a trail. It's written in brown meaning it's unmaintained, so it could be difficult to find. BUT it had a distance and we also had the GPS in my Guthooks to help navigate us if we had problems. Post promptly went off in search of the beginning and returned soon after to declare that she had found it. Adventure time ensued.This old trail showed occasional signs of recent usage. At times it was quite easy to follow. Other times it disappeared into the scrubby brush only to be found again once we'd stopped looking. I monitored the GPS from the back of the group occasionally giving simple guidance of "we need to get West." Or "just keep straight, don't veer anymore left" or "we're only .2 away from the PCT". At a certain point, we finally arrived close enough to the trail that my Guthooks stopped giving us a distance away. It assumed we were there. At that point, thru the trees, I could see a slight break in the forest - as if a trail had been blazed thru. I turned a hard right, and within 20 steps, was bursting thru a couple small firs to put my shoes back on trail. It was around 1pm and the sun was blazing hot. We all took a congratulatory drink break - we were now back on track and only had 3.6 miles until we would reach our destination for the day. We were thankful for the good fortune of discovering the alternate return route. What would have been a grueling uphill on trail became a shorter and more fulfilling climb. Though our trail mileage says we've gone 16 today, I know it's less than that. But I couldn't tell you exactly what - because Adventure Miles don't count toward the total.
Date: 2020-09-04
To: Crescent Lake Campground 
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: scattered clouds

On long trails, you often have alternate options. Sometimes these choices will cut off a couple miles. They may offer better views. They may take you around an obstacle or allow you to experience something spectacular. To not allow for alternate options is to be a purist in your hike - you must follow a singular trail from point A to point B. I, however, am not a purist. Neither are my current companions.Today, we began on the PCT and are now in the middle of an alternate trail that led us by many more lakes, incurred hundreds less feet in elevation gain, and will ultimately cut 10 miles out of the journey. If I had been on my own, I likely would have stuck harder to the PCT. It is the goal to close out this state, so I will need to come back at some point. But for my current situation, this is wholey acceptable.However, this campground is...loud. And makes me miss sleeping in the quiet of the wilderness. Sometimes the alternate has it's downfalls.
Date: 2017-05-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

This is my first entry in the journal, a week before I hit the trail. I've dreamed of hiking the AT for many years, but I've only been preparing for a few months, since a window suddenly opened that made it a real possibility. The window came late last year in the form of my longtime employer being acquired (again) and subsequently downsizing. Fortunately I received several months notice and was able to start planning a mid-career sabbatical that included my dream thru-hike. But this would not even be a consideration were I not also blessed with my incredibly understanding and supportive wife Sara to help me accomplish this daunting goal while maintaining an active family life with our four growing children. To achieve a balance I will be hiking on and off over the next six months - 3 weeks on and 3 weeks off, as long as it works for everyone. God willing I will have the strength, stamina, and focus to take advantage of this opportunity and see this through to the finish.Due to the late season start I will flip-flop, first hiking northbound from Harper's Ferry, WV to Katahdin, then southbound from Harper's Ferry to Georgia. This ensures I can get to Katahdin in time and is probably the best weather option, spending summer in New England and Autumn in the South. It will also put me in the thick of both the NOBO and SOBO bubbles ensuring plenty of company should I need it. But I will need to travel fast and light to finish before winter sets in. I expect I may leapfrog the bubble more than once as I move ahead and then step off the trail for a while.