morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-07-14
From: Gorham, NH

To: Gentain Pond Campsite
Miles today: 11.8

Back in the tent again! Really, we were looking forward to being back in our tent tonight after sleeping in a number of different huts, lodges, and hotel rooms for the past week. Feels like we are camping again. Of course, the packs were fully loaded again today so it took some time getting use to the extra weight on our backs. But the trail was a lot less rocky than we saw in the Whites. We actually felt like we were making some good progress today.Tomorrow we will hike the last few miles of the trail in New Hampshireand enter Maine.   The southern section of the trail in Maine is about113 miles long and considered the most difficult. It crosses seven 4,000 foot peaks and 13 other peaks above 3,000 feet. Our first challenge will be Mahoosuc Notch. It is basically a big pile of rocks, some the size of school buses, that have settled in a valley between two mountains. It is famous for the ice found in deep crevices throughout the year. Many call this scramble under, around, over, and between the boulders the most difficult mile on the Trail.Looking forward to the challenge.
Date: 2011-07-15
From: Gentain Pond Campsite

To: Full Goose Campsite
Miles today: 9.6
Weather: few clouds

Today's hike was much tougher than yesterdays, so it still took us all day to make camp even though it was a couple of miles shorter. I guess we should not be surprised that the trail leading up to Mahoosuc Notch, known as the toughest mile on the whole A.T., would also be challenging. Nevertheless, it was a gorgeous day to be walking above treeline again. It is absolutely beautiful up there. And to top it off....we crossed over the state border and left New Hampshire behind and enter Maine! Wow! I have been thinking about getting to Maine for the past 3 years and here we are. Thirteen states completed (GA, NC, TN, VA, WV, MD, PA, NJ, NY, CN, MA, VT, and NH) and only one more to go, Maine.And now, a wildlife update. The most common critters I see each day are the toads. They are either black or have a brown and copper pattern on their backs. They have ranged in size from less than half an inch to three inches in length. Today I saw two snowshoe hares, one was really big and the other was a baby. I did see a garter snake yesterday. First snake I have spotted in over a week. I think it is just too wet around here for snakes. The birds are mostly white-throated sparrows and juncos, with some thrushes, the occasional woodpecker, and crows circling the mountain tops. Also saw a male spruce grouse with the tell tale red eye patch. He was walking down the trail and we caught up to him. And at lunch, a Canada jay was flying around inside a shelter and couldn't seem to find his way out.I tried to direct him out with a broom without success.Tomorrow we break camp at first light for our assault on Mahoosuc Notch.
Date: 2011-07-16
From: Full Goose Campsite

To: Baldpate Lean-To
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Well, Mahoosuc Notch was pretty much what they said it was..."The toughest mile on the A.T." It was about 20 yards wide at the bottom framed on either side with sheer rock walls. The floor of the Notch was covered in a jumbled mess of large boulders. Our job was to find a way through the rock. Most times we went either over or around the rock. But on a couple of occasions that was not possible, so we had to crawl through these passages under the rock. The packs came off twice because we couldn't fit through with them on. Patches of ice between the boulders kept the air in the Notch cool. At one point you could hear the air moving through the rock like the fan on your air conditioner. It was so cold in some spots that you could see your breath. All in all it was a real challenge and a lot of fun. By the time we got through the Notch we were getting very tired from hauling ourselves and our packs over the rocks. We managed to sustain only a few nicks and scrapes. It was a good thing we have been getting a lot of the practice climbing up rocks on the trail for the experience we have gain during the past couple of weeks helped us a great deal.Yesterday and today we passed by a number of ponds and lakes high up in the mountains. They are a pleasant surprise when you first walk up on them and perfectly pristine. They have been real nice spots to take a break or have lunch.We are hiking in the Mahoosuc Range and have found them to be every bit as rugged as the White Mountains. So despite expending a lot of energy today on the Notch, and the 1600 foot climb immediately after, we are feeling pretty good about being able to hike a full 12 miles today. Tomorrow we will head into Andover to resupply.
Date: 2011-07-17
From: Baldpate Lean-To

To: Andover, ME
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: few clouds

Trail conditions improved significantly today so we were able to hike the 8 miles to the road by 12:15 pm. We were met by David of Pine Ellis Lodging. We called ahead from the top of Baldpate Mountain and set up the ride and room reservation. Baldpate is a solid piece of rock on top with no vegetation, hence the name. It was very windy and cold up there this morning. When we arrived at the road, David, who is Mayan, poured us glasses of ice cold lemonade. That was a nice greeting! David helps out Ilene, who has hosted over 10,000 hikers in her home during the past 30 plus years of business. Andover is one block by one block in size. We ended up having lunch and dinner at the Andover General Store, which had booths and a lunch counter in the back. The food was actually quite good. Their chicken quesadilla is the talk of the trail so we had that for lunch and were not disappointed. Yes, our appetites are starting to take off. Our resupply box was waiting for us at Pine Ellis so we are now fully stocked for the next 6 days. All in all it was a great afternoon of relaxation. We watched the final of the Women's World Cup soccer tournament reclined on our beds.
Date: 2011-07-18
From: Andover, ME

To: Black Brook
Miles today: 10.1

Back on the trail today with full packs (Ugh!). Trail conditions again were better than the Whites. In other words, our boots actually touched some soil and we were not constantly hopping from rock to rock. There are a lot of roots on the trail but even they are better than rocks, rocks, and more rocks. So, we were able to get to camp easily today despite a long lunch break by the side of this babbling stream called Sawyer Brook. It was a great spot to hang out and enjoy the day.Breezy has gone home as planned after reaching Maine Highway 26, so Firefly is on her own now about a day ahead of us. We saw Challenger again at Pine Ellis last night. He has been doing a lot of big mile days by slackpacking. Turkey Feather is resting up at Pine Ellis to get over a bug he picked up last week. He has a turkey feather in his hat, and, a full set of turkey feathers mounted across the back of his pack. Pretty impressive display. Some guy in Virginia gave him the feathers when he heard what his trail name was. Since he was feverish, we helped him get through Mahoosuc Notch on Saturday. Also met a guy today who was dressed in kelly green shorts and shirt, had a green pack on, was short with reddish curly hair, and WASN'T Irish. He could have been the mascot for Notre Dame football, but he is Swedish. Go figure.
Date: 2011-07-19
From: Black Brook

To: Bemis Stream
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: few clouds

Climbed Old Blue Mountain (3600 feet) and the Bemis Range (3580 feet) today under perfect sunny skies. Again, we decided to camp by a really nice brook. It is a real pleasure to have the opportunity each night after a long sweat filled day of hiking to take a dip and rinse off. Very refreshing and it makes it easier to sleep.Tomorrow we are going to try to go for big miles. The terrain looks on the map to be hiker friendly without any big climbs. We shall see. If we can pull it off, we will have the opportunity to get to our next resupply in Stratton in 5 days instead of the planned 6. We hope to get at least 2 days ahead on our scheduled August 6th summit of Katahdin so we have time to travel down and meet up with some friends in Massachusetts during that same weekend.The Gear Report. The new Neo Aire air mattress is working out real well. Very light, easy to inflate, and comfortable. The Aquamira water purification tablets have been easy to use and reliable (unlike previously used pump filters and the Steripen). My Solomon trail runners have been great. Great grip and NO BLISTERS. Fastforward also loves her Solomons and has had no blisters. That is unheard of in this business. My pair are a bit torn on the outside edges of the toe boxes from all that rock scrambling in the Whites and the Mahoosucs. Tonight I stitched up the tears so they wouldn't get any worse. And last but not least, I love my Balega socks. Very breathable, comfortable, and holding up well under the worst of conditions. They are made in South Africa and my good friend Rob distributes them in the U.S. Check out their very cool website. (www.balegasports.com)And now for The Injury Report. Fastforward's sprained thumb is all better. She has one little sore spot on a toe which she keeps padded for protection. I had a slightly sprained wrist from a slip in Mahoosuc Notch, but that became a non-issue overnight. So far we are doing well.
Date: 2011-07-20
From: Bemis Stream

To: Eddy Pond
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: clear sky

How about that mileage? We challenged ourselves and we were able to rack up some miles hoping it will enable us to get to Stratton, our next resupply point, a day early. We want to get ahead of our schedule since our friends are having a party for us the weekend of August 6th. We thought it might be a good idea to complete the hike a couple of days early so we could actually attend the party they are throwing for us. Today was a good start in making that happen.Today was also wildlife day. During the first few hours of the hike, we heard either a coyote or possibly a wolf howling in the distance.Then as we passed a pond, a Common Loon was singing in the surrounding trees. The call of the loon is synonymous with the north woods and always reminds me of our family vacations to the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. Later a Spruce Grouse sat in the trail in front of us and was in no hurry to move along. We also saw a couple of garter snakes and a ton of frogs. We spooked another moose in the brush, but again we did not actually see the beast. That all changed late this afternoon as we passed Ethel Pond. Fast Forward spotted a female moose standing right smack in the middle of the pond. She was casually eating some vegetation that was growing under the surface of the water. The moose would dip her entire head under the water for about 10 seconds at a time and come up chewing. It was so cool.Maine is turning out to be not only a land of mountains, but also lakes and ponds. Just today we passed by Maxie Pond, Long Pond, Sabbath Day Pond, Little Swift River Pond, South Pond, Ethel Pond and finally Eddy Pond where we are spending the night. No houses, no signs of any human interference. Just high mountain lakes in pristine condition. I finished the day with a refreshing swim in Eddy Pond.Tomorrow we tackle the Saddleback Range, much of it is above tree line.
Date: 2011-07-21
From: Eddy Pond

To: Spaulding Mountain Lean-To
Miles today: 15.0

The heat wave has arrived in Maine. As if we didn't sweat enough already, the heat made the walking tough. However, early this morning it was quite cool and very windy as we crossed over the Saddleback Range, made up of two 4000 foot peaks and a 3000 footer. Wind gusts were really knocking us around, especially at the summits, probably in the neighborhood of 50 mph. The whole traverse over the Range was above tree line and the views were 360 degrees to the horizon. From what I have seen of Maine, they have an incredible amount of forested lands.Oh yeah, shortly after I wrote yesterday's journal, I went down to the pond again to watch the sunset and lo and behold another moose was hanging out just like the one we saw earlier at Ethel Pond. This is so cool.Tomorrow we head into Stratton a day early to resupply and clean up.
Date: 2011-07-22
From: Spaulding Mountain Lean-To

To: Stratton, ME
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: scattered clouds

The wind which was huffing and puffing all day long eventually resulted in some rain overnight. Since it has been so warm, we have been setting up our tent without the rain fly to improve ventilation.The main tent is mostly screening, which keeps the bugs out and let's the breezes in. We attach the rain fly just to the rear of the tent and let it lay on the ground just in case a storm blows in overnight.So last night when some sprinkles started to hit my face after dark I immediately woke up and quickly got out of the tent and secured the rain fly. By morning it was clear and sunny again. Then it got stinkin' hot. The weather is suppose to be much cooler on Sunday, highs in the 70s. Can't wait.We hustled and got to Stratton early today and took full advantage of the amenities, Stratton is a much bigger town than say Andover, and services the Saddleback and Sugarbush ski resorts.We are now less than 200 miles from Katahdin and will push ahead hard and try to gain another day on our schedule before resupplying for the last time in Monson, ME.
Date: 2011-07-23
From: Stratton, ME

To: Little Bigelow Lean-To
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: scattered clouds

We got a late start out of Stratton this morning so we did not get into camp until around 7:30 this evening. Not ideal, but we could not arrange for a shuttle back to the trail until 8:30. It took us all day to traverse the Bigelow Range, consisting of South Horn (3831 ft.), West Peak (4145 ft.), Avery Peak (4090 ft.), and Little Bigelow (3010 ft.). It was really nice up there with views of mountains, forests, and huge lakes to the horizon. This is one of the last monster set of mountains between here and Katahdin. The trail is suppose to get easier from this point on. Well, let me rephrase that.The mountain ranges are much smaller. The trail could still be slow going because of all the roots and rocks. We shall see.We did pass the official 2000 mile marker, which is pretty cool. And we keep seeing a snake that is kind of yellow gold in color without any stripes or markings. It looks different than the garter snakes we saw earlier but don't know what it could be. The bugs are getting annoying at times, especially at lower elevations. Up on top of these mountains they are non-existent. It is really to windy for them. We have mosquitoes, who are usually just a problem at dusk. We have gnats, who love to dive bomb into your eyes. And we have these local yellow horse flies that are a real nuisance. They will buzz around your head for 10 minutes straight while you are hiking looking for an opportunity to land on your scalp and bite. Very persistent. They can drive you crazy. Twice I have decided to wear a bug net over my head to get some relief.Sleep time. Another big day tomorrow
Date: 2011-07-24
From: Little Bigelow Lean-To

To: Pierce Pond
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was one our most enjoyable days on the trail so far. The humidity broke and the day time temperatures dropped into the 70s.This made the walking very pleasant. In addition, the trail was much easier. To illustrate, yesterday we crossed the Bigelow Range with several major climbs and peaks. It took us 6 hours to do the first 7 miles and then another 5 hours to do the last 8 miles. That's 11 hours of hiking to complete 15 trail miles. We got into camp exhausted with only enough time to set up our tent and eat dinner before it was dark. Today the trail was pretty much level with no major climbs and we completed 17 miles in 9 hours of hiking. This included a one hour break for a swim and our lunch on a sandy beach at East Carry Pond. The swim was just what we needed. And then we took another swim this afternoon here at Pierce Pond after arriving around 3:30ish. Fast Forward spent the day hiking and chatting with Fire Fly while I hung back and listened to my iPod Nano. Just an enjoyable walk in the woods for the both of us.Tomorrow should also be fun. We will hike up to Harrison's Pierce Pond camp, a traditional Maine camp for vacationers and anglers, for a pancake breakfast. Afterward, we will make our way to the Kennebec River Ferry. The Kennebec River is the most formidable unbridged water crossing on the A.T. Some folks have died trying and many others have had close calls. So the Appalachian Trail Conservancy now ferries hikers across the river in a canoe. That should be interesting. From there we will get lunch in Caratunk and then hike another 5 miles to camp and finish the day with another swim at Pleasant Pond.
Date: 2011-07-25
From: Pierce Pond

To: Pleasant Pond
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: overcast clouds

We did a lot of eating today and a little hiking when convenient. The breakfast at Harrison's Pierce Pond Camp was amazing. Double stack of pancakes loaded with blueberries, raspberries and apples, and, links of sausage with eggs. It was glutinous. The lodge was very cool too.Lot's of deer and moose heads mounted on the walls with bear rugs thrown around on the furniture. Teddy Roosevelt would have felt right at home. The camp sat right on Pierce Pond Stream. Think of the movie, A River Runs Through It. Great spot to gather with family and friends for an outdoor filled weekend.We then hiked down to the Kennebec River and met Hillbilly Dave, the man who ferries hikers over the river in a canoe. Let's just say he looks the part. The Kennebec is a very impressive river. It is quite wide and fairly quick. I would not want to ford this river on my own.Our next stop was at Northern Outdoors, which is a full service base camp for those who want to do whitewater rafting on the Kennebec.They have all kinds of lodging from fancy rooms to tent cabins. They are also a brewery and we had lunch there before returning to the trail.Tomorrow we hope to go far enough to make the hike into Monson easy.Only problem is the couple of mountains we need to get over and the prediction for rain. We got into camp early so we will make sure we get plenty of rest tonight.
Date: 2011-07-26
From: Pleasant Pond

To: Moxie Bald Lean-To
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: light rain

Pleasant Pond wasn't to pleasant last night. It started to rain around dinner time and it continued throughout the night. So we broke camp in the rain and hiked pretty much in the rain all day. This is only the second day since we departed Hanover that we have hiked in the rain. It was kind of spooky walking through the woods and mountains while they were covered in clouds. At one point, we were hopping from rock to rock crossing a river and saw a fisher scamper out of the river and into the bushes.We both feel pretty good physically and are getting excited about how close we are getting to Katahdin. Tomorrow we push on to Monson, our last resupply point before entering the homestretch through the 100 Mile Wilderness.
Date: 2011-07-27
From: Moxie Bald Lean-To

To: Monson, ME
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Well, I did it again! I walked right into a tree that was hanging over the trail. The top of my head hit the tree and stopped me cold.Next thing I know I am laying on my back staring at the sky through the trees. The pack broke my fall, but I ended up looking like a turtle flipped upside down on his shell. I have got to stop doing this. I had a bit of a headache but it faded away. Like most things that happen out here, I walked it off.This morning on Bald Mountain Lake I watched as two loons were being circled by a beaver. It looked like the beaver did not like the fact that the loons were in his area of the lake. The beaver would swim up to the loons, slap his tail on the surface of the lake, and then dive under the water. The loons would then look all around and under the water trying to figure out where the beaver had gone. It was very amusing to watch the beaver harass the loons. We also saw on the trail a kill site. It was a six foot wide area full of fur with large bones scattered all around. Several vertebrate bones suggested that the animal was a moose.The weather has turned for the better. It started raining two nights ago around dinner, rained all night, and then off and on all day yesterday. Since our tent was wet we decided to stay in the Lean-To last night. Around dinner last night, a thunderstorm came through and it rained heavily until around midnight. We thought we were being smart staying in the shelter until the mosquitoes came out. We and the other hikers were eaten alive by the mosquitoes all night. It was brutal. Nobody got any sleep.So we quickly departed camp this morning around 6:00am and got into Monson by 1:00pm. This is our last resupply point before entering the 100 Mile Wilderness and getting set to summit Katahdin.
Date: 2011-07-28
From: Monson, ME

To: Long Pond Stream
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: scattered clouds

The Lakeshore House in Monson turned out to be a great place to stay.The proprietor, Rebekah, was super nice. They had their own laundromat, restaurant and pub all on the premises. There was really no reason to leave, which was fine with us. We were tired and content to put up our feet and relax. And that is what we did on their patio out back overlooking Lake Hebron.We passed four different ponds and crossed a half dozen streams and rivers today. This place is loaded with water and absolutely stunning to see. On one of the rivers we had to shed our boots and wade into the water in our Crocs, The water was only a foot or two deep but you still had to be careful of the slippery rocks and the current, Yesterday we forded both the East Branch and the West Branch of the Piscataquis River. That was bit more exciting. Fortunately we have been able to cross these rivers without falling in and getting our gear wet. We did after reaching camp take a swim in Slugundy Gorge at the base of the falls on Long Pond Stream. It felt great to cool off after the hike.We are now less than 100 miles from Katahdin. I do believe we are closing in. Tomorrow we will climb and then traverse the Barren Chairback Range. It is the one of the last two mountains ranges we will cross before we hit a 60 mile stretch of relatively flat terrain before Katahdin. Out target dates to summit Katahdin are August 3rd or 4th. Hard to believe we are so close.