morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-08-18
From: Carlo Col Shelter

To: Bald Plate Lean-to
Miles today: 16.4

This morning I got up had breakfast and said so long to South Paw. The weather was very cool but the sky was clear. Today was the day that I would be going through the Mohoosuc Notch and I was glad that the rocks would be dry.The views from Goose Eye Mountain were great. I love being above treeline in decent weather. Of course in crummy weather I would rather not be up on exposed ridges or peaks. I could see what I figured was Mahoosuc Notch off in thre distance. Just a small gap in the mountai chain with cliff wals straight down.I stopped to have lunch just before the notch. While I was stopped a group of 5 ladies from PA came up the Notch trail and stopped for lunch as well. They were out for the weekend and were going to Speck Pond Campsite for two nights before heading out and back home.The notch has cliff walls on either side that go sraight downand the floor is filled with large boulders. The trail winds its way over under and around the boulders. I was going through by myself so I was very carefull not to miss-step and fall. I have been a bit more cautious recently after my fall on Mt. Madison and the one the day before. There really is ice down beneath the rocks, even now. Part way through the notch a brook flows in and down under the rocks. It is kind of funny scrambling along to the sound of gurgulling water.In the end it took me a bitover two hours to get from one end of the notch to the other. I got to Speck Pond campsite about dinner but decided to continue on to the next shelter or pitch my tent if I didn't make it that far. It started to get dark as I crossed Maine 26 in Grafton notch but fortunatly the trail up the other side of the notch was straight forward and well marked. There were three other people in the shelter but they were on either side so there was lots of room in the middle. I pulled out my sleeping bag, hoped in and went to sleep.
Date: 2005-08-19
From: Bald Plate Lean-to

To: Andover ME (South Arm Road)
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: few clouds

This morning I got off at a decent hour and heaed down the trail. Baldplate was beutiful, you could see in all directions for miles. You can see the areas that have been loged. From high up like that they remind me of little golf courses. The standing trees are the roughs and the logged areas are the greens. Baldplate is really an appropriate name for the mountain, most of the trail go over flat slabs of rock. It might be close to impossible to go over in a rain storm. Dunns Notch is a very beutiful location. It would be a nice place to camp but I understand how a sensitive place like that could get over used if it were allowed.I continued past East B Hill Road to South Arm Road. The flip-flopping southbound hikers told me that the first road was washed out between the trail crossing and Andover and that I wouldn't be able to hitch in. The climb was ok, but Moody Mountain was a steep climb and decent. A bit more than I was bargining for so it took me extra time to get out to the road.It took me half an hour to get a hitch into Andover, which seems like a long time, but it was only the third vehicle to come down the road. I got a second hitch out to The Cabin in East Andover. I got a great big warm welcome from both Bear and Honey, but welcomes from some of the other hikers there who knew me from trail registers. One lady Still Walking had met Stewie in North Carolina and had been reading our register entries along the trail. Everyone that I meet has great things to say about Stewie, they seem sort of disapointed that he is finished and of the trail. I don't know how many times I have been greated with "OnStar! Great to see you again! but...ahhh...where's Stewie? Weren't you hiking with him. Then they procede to tell me their Stewie story and are quite pleased when I can tell them another.Dinner was fantastic tonight. Chicken, potatoes, rolls, salad, corn on the cob, cake and ice cream. We all ate together at the big dinner table. Besides Still Walking, there was Painfully Slow, Detour, Hank, Bull and Pheonix. After dinner we talked about hiking, one guy there was hiking the higest 100 peaks in New England.
Date: 2005-08-20
From: Andover ME (South Arm Road)

To: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-To
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: light rain

I can't say enough good things about the Cabin in Andover. Bear and Honey are two of the nicest, warmest, careing people that i have met on the trail. I had been feeling a little down, sort of ready to be finished, back to the comforts of society but the happiness and warmth that I felt there made me feel a lot better out on the trail today. Besides the wonderful hospitality and atmosphere there the food was absolutly fantastic and plentifull. This morning I had scrammbled eggs (could have had an omlet if I chose to), blueberry pancakes, potatoes, buiscuits (gravy avaiable for the southern folk) with homemade strawberry jam and orange juice. I wish that I could have a breakfast like that everyday.Bull drove Still Walking and myself out to the trailhead. Everyone else was zeroing or up to other things. Right when we were comming around the corner before the pull-off, a truck with a "fifth-wheel" RV ran us off the road. The RV was driving in the middle of the road and left no room for us. The shoulder was wide enough at that point what we were fine, but it was still a bit unnerving.The weather today was a bit damp. There were some scattered showers in the morning but around lunch it started to rain in ernest - right as I was getting to the more exposed sections on Bemis. The rain stopped after a while but by then everything was wet and ever time the wind blowed giant rain drops fell off the trees.Shadow and Still Walking got to the shelter tonight as well. It is nice to have other people to spend the night with and talk to. They both have shorter days planned over the next few days so I will probably get ahead of them.
Date: 2005-08-21
From: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-To

To: Poplar Ridge Lean-to
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: light rain

Early this morning it started to rain cats and dogs. The drumming on the metal lean-to roof woke me up initially but I went back to sleep after making a wish that it would stop by morning. It still hadn't stopped when my alarm went off so I decided to stay in bed hoping that it would end soon. About 7:30 Shadow and Still Walking woke up and started rustling around. Shadow figured that the rain would let up soon enough and was going to wait it out. I felt like it was just going to rain all day and I was going to get soaking wet and a bit miserable no matter what. I'd be wet and miserable or dry and accomplished no miles and therefore miserable. I packed up everything, made sure the ziplocks were all closed and then headed out in the rain. I think that the rain always seems worse in the shelter where it has a metal roof to echo on. The rain was also letting up which made the morning go by easily. By lunch the rain had stopped and a short while later the sun came out. I thought that I was going to have a tough, wet windy climb over Saddleback but it turned out to just be a windy one. The views that I got were great. I wasn't really sure which way the trail goes so I couldn't pick out the mountains that I am going to climb over. There are lots of big ones to choose from.I am starting to feel like I wish that I was done my hike and I could get back to the conveniences of modern living - like indoor plumbing, municipal water treatment, refrigerators and soft beds. But on the other hand I have really enjoyed my hike up to now and don't really want to go back to the real world where I will have to get a job, and supposed to get things like a car, mortgage, husband and kids. (barf) All of a sudden those modern conveniences don't seem so enticing.
Date: 2005-08-22
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-to

To: North Crocker Mountain
Miles today: 19.5

Today I did my first Maine ford. There was one back in Central Virginia where a bridge was out and the other "fords" in Maine I was able to hop across from rock to rock. I guess the water level in the creeks depends a lot on the time of year and how recently and how much it rained. Coming to a ford is a nice break. It forces you to take your hiking shoes off, and get them cooled off in the water. My feet always feel so revitalised afterwards.I have been meeting more and more flip-floppers lately. Some I have met before and others not. I heard that Two Step and Loofa flipped up to Katahdin. I met them at the Bears Den hostel not too long ago. I'm glad that they are continuing their hikes and have not left the trail yet. Hopefully I will cross paths with them on the trail. I think that I passed Boots and Blue Light in the last day. I was looking forward to seeing them again from the bit of hiking that they did with Stewie and I into Palmerton. I definitely missed seeing Old Scrubs again. I think that we must have passed each other around Gorham or the north end of the Whites. It is kind of funny reading register entries now. If you read much into the past you are into people that are finishing up now or who have already finished their hikes.I am headed into Stratton tomorrow morning to have breakfast and resupply. It is funny to think that I only have a couple of resupplies and town stops left. Heck, I only have nine more days unless something throws me off track. My parents, sister and brother are all coming to Maine to hike up Katahdin with me. I'm excited that they will be there even if they will inevitably slow me down and I will end p carrying all their stuff. It just shows that they recognise what an important achievement hiking over 2000 miles is. Speaking of that I cross 2000 tomorrow!
Date: 2005-08-24
From: Little Bigelow Lean-to 

To: Moxie Pond Road
Miles today: 33.2
Weather: overcast clouds

After all the talk of fording the Kennebec vs. the ferry I imagined that the river was going to be shallow but wide with a decent current. I thought it would be something that I would see and think "yeah, I could, but the ferry is easier". Instead when I got down to the river I was thinking "Hell no! If the ferry weren¢t here I'd have to look for a bridge. To be fair the water was high when I was down there, but if something fordable can turn into what I crossed in less time that it takes to get to safety, it makes the river unsafe to ford. Besides, Steve is a really friendly guy who is interesting to talk to. To be honest, I thought he was going to be some old guy but he is actually quite young. If I hadn't already set a schedule for the end of my trip and picked a date to summit (weather permitting of course) I definitely would have stayed overnight in the bunkhouse that he runs.Maine is so gorgeous I feel like I want to stop every couple of miles and spend the rest of the day there. In a lot of ways I feel like Maine and Northern Ontario could be the same place. Except that Maine has mountains, lobster and L.L.Bean. Really it is the only part of the trail that I am thinking about coming back to section hike in the foreseeable future. I hope that some day, when I am retired I come back to hike the whole thing again. But really that is a couple lifetimes from now.
Date: 2005-08-25
From: Moxie Pond Road

To: Monson ME
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: few clouds

This morning I met a bunch of the AT circle expedition hikers including Miss Wiggy and Tiger Lil. I also caught up to Raj who Stewie and I met just north of Duncannon and Swifty.Today the hiking was mostly downhill and not terribly much happened. I think the highlights of the day were the two fords. Neither were hard, the water level was never deeper than my knee. I got into Monson at 5:30 just a bit too late to get to the post office.I stayed at Shaw's where I met Jersey Fresh and Duke. Everyone ended up at the BBQ restaurant for dinner. It has been a busy couple of days, I am looking forward to a big breakfast tomorrow morning, resupplying and getting out on my last leg of the trip. I am sad that this will be the last time that I resupply, but not bothered at all that my Poptart eating days are numbered.
Date: 2005-08-26
From: Monson ME

To: Leeman Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was an unproductive day. At least that is how I feel. I hardly hiked anywhere but I also felt crappy all day. I guess everyone is allowed to have a bad day once and awhile. I just didn't feel into the hiking thing; I wasn't enjoying walking along the trail. So I figured why fight it, I can make up the miles over the next couple of days. I should do something that I will enjoy and then set off on a good foot tomorrow.Once I got to the shelter I made a fire and had dinner. After dinner and when the fire had died down I roasted marshmallow and made s'mores. They tasted really good. After I had filled my stomach I sat by the warmth of the fire and read my e-mails and wrote some replies. Getting e-mails while on the trail is like getting mail at camp - exciting. I rally enjoy the guest book entries that I receive. It is really neat when you get to meet the person who has left you an electronic hello, like when I met Miss Wiggy yesterday.One good thing about being at he shelters in Main alone is that I can sleep crossways instead of with my head to the front or back of the shelter. I fond the sleeping platforms of the shelters in Maine to be very short almost like I have to stick my feet over the edge. I have lost my "pillow"/cloths bag over the edge a few times but not tonight!I feel quite ready for the hike to be over. In a lot of ways I wish that it were done. I really want to enjoy my last few days out here, but I also want to rush to the end so that I can be finished. Maybe it is just he negative attitude talking and I will feel better about everything tomorrow. In any case I guess that it is best that I am ready for it to be over because it will be soon no mater what. I feel like this adventure will have a nice closure and I will leave a better person who is ready for the next adventure.
Date: 2005-08-27
From: Leeman Brook Lean-to

To: Fourth Mountain Barren-Chairback Range
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: scattered clouds

I felt more energetic today as the day progressed. This morning went pretty slow but by the late afternoon I was feeling back to normal. One problem with hiking nowadays is the amount of daylight available. It seemed like the sun went down at 7:30 today and it was totally dark at 8. Not even a month ago I could hike until 9pm without using my headlamp. It really cuts into my favourite time of day to hike. Tomorrow I will have to get up early and take full advantage of the sun light hours.Fording rivers takes extra time too. Not because you I change my shoes or anything like that; because I always want to stop and have a snack, or go for a dip. The hotter it is the harder it is to resist the urge. I stopped twice today to hop in. It seemed quite hot today, not overwhelmingly so, but a bit hot for comfortable hiking. Stopping for a snack is not a problem though. I have lots of food and my pack weight only seems down to normal this afternoon. I had been feeling hungry all the time hiking lately and I didn't want to be hungry out here. Also I am sure my parents are going to say that I look too thin and try to stuff me full of food. That would be ok, since I am sure that my mom's food is healthier than Little Debbie snack cakes and Lance cheese and crackers.I'll definitely see Katahdin tomorrow from White Cap Mountain. I guess as long as the weather doesn¢t change, but the clouds look like we will have good weather for a while.
Date: 2005-08-29
From: East Branch Lean-to

To: Rainbow Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 37.7
Weather: overcast clouds

The clouds blew away during the night and a full sky of stars shone. Unfortunately as soon as the sun rose this morning the clouds returned. For the first few hours of hiking this morning it didn't rain but onward from then it was off and on throughout the day. One disadvantage of having tent sites between the lean-tos is that there is nowhere dry to sit down and have lunch. Instead of seven or so miles between shelters it seems like it closer to 12 miles between shelters. In nice weather it wouldn't matter because there is an established campsite or lean-to every five or six miles.The Maine 100-mile wilderness seems very over used. Like everyone comes and hikes here because it is "wilderness". So they drive in a vanload of people and hike a bit. There was a whole huge group of college students at Coopers Falls Lean-to last night and filled up the whole pace. Apparently they don't care that the shelters are for long-distance hikers and not intended for large groups. They got there at 11 am and then set up for the day. The thru-hikers that got there later all had to set up tents or move on further. Tonight another college group had taken over the Wadleigh Spring Lean-to and all the tent sites. I saw their van parked two miles out on the road. The tents were everywhere, some almost blocking the trail. I don't understand why Boy Scouts, summer camps and colleges would think that it is ok for them to go and monopolise all the public facilities. Sure it is first come first serve but no one expects a group of 20 to quit walking before lunch and set up camp for the night. Needless to say I was expecting more wild in the "wilderness".It really started to pour a bit before dark. The trail in Maine seems like it turns into a river when that happens. A thunderstorm passed over the area as well. The shelter was full so I had to set up my tarp. I didn't mind as much as I would have normally because I knew that the next night I would be in a lean-to with my parents. Plus they would have dry cloths and warm food. I didn't want to get my sleeping bag all wet so I just got out my sleeping pad, put on my rain coat and went to sleep that way. It was pretty warm out so it was not bad. All in all I was feeling pretty grumpy at the soaking wet people infested wilderness. It has been totally socked in since before White Cap so I still haven't seen the slightest glimpse of Katahdin. Blah! I didn't walk 2000 miles for no views!
Date: 2005-08-30
From: Rainbow Stream Lean-to

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 24.9
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning it was still raining when I woke up. Ugh, everything was wet or damp. I ate breakfast and packed up. Wet or not tonight I was going to be in a lean-to with my parents and dry, clean everything.I was glad to be done with the "wilderness". Some days I felt like I saw more day hikers in the wilderness than other places and other days I felt like a big bus drove a huge group along a logging road where they walked two miles where they took all the shelter and tent spaces. To me wilderness means solitude, silence, reflection. I didn't find any of that there. I think that the 100-mile "wilderness" should be renamed the 100-mile "without resupply". That really isn't totally true either but seems more accurate.I still haven't seen Katahdin fully. The view has been totally soaked in. The last views that I had were from Barren Mountain. As I was walking through Baxter State Park the sun came out for a while and I saw the base of the mountain. I laughed I was so happy to see it but so sad too. Whenever things have become tough Special K was the thing that kept you going. But it signals the end too, the end of one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. I know that I have made life-long friends and memories for the rest of my life. I feel ready to go back to the conveniences of life but sad to be leaving behind the simpler life of the trail. I want to stay but I want to leave.This morning it was still raining when I woke up. Ugh, everything was wet or damp. I ate breakfast and packed up. Wet or not tonight I was going to be in a lean-to with my parents and dry, clean everything.I was glad to be done with the "wilderness". Some days I felt like I saw more day hikers in the wilderness than other places and other days I felt like a big bus drove a huge group along a logging road where they walked two miles where they took all the shelter and tent spaces. To me wilderness means solitude, silence, reflection. I didn't find any of that there. I think that the 100-mile "wilderness" should be renamed the 100-mile "without resupply". That really isn't totally true either but seems more accurate.I still haven't seen Katahdin fully. The view has been totally soaked in. The last views that I had were from Barren Mountain. As I was walking through Baxter State Park the sun came out for a while and I saw the base of the mountain. I laughed I was so happy to see it but so sad too. Whenever things have become tough Special K was the thing that kept you going. But it signals the end too, the end of one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. I know that I have made life-long friends and memories for the rest of my life. I feel ready to go back to the conveniences of life but sad to be leaving behind the simpler life of the trail. I want to stay but I want to leave.
Date: 2005-08-31
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Ah, my first real zero on the trail! and with only 5.2 miles left to go. Today was my intended summit day but it was pouring rain out this morning and the weather forecast called for a chance of thunderstorms. I didn't feel too excited about hiking Katahdin in the rain, but I don't want to get struck by lightning so I decided to wait a day and hope for better weather. It could hardly get worse. Yesterday there was 4 inches of rain in the park and today there was at least another 3 inches. Everything is quite wet. My family came to Baxter to meet me and have lean-tos reserved for tonight so I will summit tomorrow and will drive out of the park afterwards. Where we end up depends a lot on the time, the weather and what condition everyone is in. My parents thought that they would climb up most of the way but after looking at he profile on my map they decided that they definitely were only going a short distance. My sister Laura is going to climb up all the way. I think my parents are going to go up to Katahdin Stream falls and back.My aunt, uncle and two youngest cousins from New Brunswick were here overnight. We chatted some in the morning before they headed of home. They had intended to do some hiking, but not in the pouring rain. After they left we headed into Millinocket to pick up my mail at the post office and have lunch. We ate at the Appalachian Trail Cafe across the street from the post office. Afterwards we headed back to the park and had a nap.It was still raining when we had dinner. Will it ever stop? The puddles seem to be getting bigger and the stream higher. It was getting dark as we cleaned up and put away everything from dinner so we headed to bed. Early to bed - tomorrow is going to be a big day! Hopefully I'll see Katahdin tomorrow.