morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-08-06
From: Little Swift River Campsite - Mile 1,963.9

To: ME 4 - Rangeley, ME - Mile 1,968.7
Miles today: 4.8
Weather: broken clouds

Easy day today. Just a few short miles, mostly easy downhill, until our trailhead pick-up. Food,. Drinks. A Shower. A Bed. Hiker Friends. AND Beth is here too.I never envisioned Beth visiting me on the trail this many times. Her visits added a new dimension to this AT hike. It goes beyond the assistance she provides to help with the supplies. She met my hiker family as it evolved and met many hikers I've spent some time with too. Here today with us are Subman & Suds, Stripe, Hooshr, and Forrest. They all post in trailjournals so she knows them from their posts too. It makes it easier to share this adventure because she's been such a big part of it.Trail towns are beginning to dwindle to just a few. There is a section coming up called the 100 Mile Wilderness in which there are no convenient towns. I'm fortunate to be able to share and enjoy this with her.
Date: 2016-08-09
From: ME 27 - Stratton, ME - Mile 2,000.9

To: ME 27 - Stratton, ME - Mile 2,000.9
Miles today: 0.0

No hiking today. I came into Stratton last night knowing I'd here all day today. Subman and Suds decided to tent a few miles before Stratton whereas the benefits of a town won me over. I hunger for anything cold to drink or east. When Beth was here a couple days ago she brought a cooler full of fruit; watermelon seemed to be the biggest hit. Hooshr remarked then that he didn't even like watermelon as he enjoyed another piece. That's how it is out here. The variety of food in my backpack isn't great. I've always been a picky eater and my poor eating habits have clearly weakened me. I had lost 26 pounds when I weighed myself while recovering from Lyme Disease. I put 12 pounds back on before resuming the hike. Big Guy, my father-in-law, said that he hoped I didn't eat everything in sight after the hike is over. Coming into anywhere that has cold drinks and food lead to me spending what I view as an insane amount on a variety of drinks. Last night I got my best deal yet - 2 64 ounce bottles of Gatorade for $3. The first gallon of gatorade was gone within 3 hours and I drank 3 bottles of cold grape soda too. I know that's crazy. I'm a spoiled eater out here. I routinely eat dehydrated meals by Mountain House that are very expensive but I eat them because I will eat them. Fresh Ground called me out a few months ago scolding me to only carry food that I'll really eat. Candlemaker spoke how he enjoyed tuna tortillas and I found I like them so I eat a few of those for lunch every day. Breakfast is my biggest problem. I choke down Pop-tarts. I actually like Quaker Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola bars but after eating them I'm wondering what I'll eat next. Too bad I can't get eggs out here. Getting into town in time for breakfast is a real treat. Estimates are that we burn close to 6,000 calories a day hiking. Hikers typically carry a little over 2 pounds of food per day to replenish about half of our lost calories. We make up the difference in towns when we disproportionately eat until we are stuffed.Among the food memories I'll never forget is me coming out of town with leftover pizza. I was stuffed at that point and uncharacteristically was not eating the pizza crusts. I think Who-Dat was the first to notice what I wasn't going to eat. He managed to only get one of the three crusts because Blues Brother and another hiker jumped in to each grab one. Then there was the moment of laughter as one of my hiking buddies offered us some chips. When we asked where they came from, he revealed that they were from a nearby trash can. I passed on them but he said they were pretty good and scarred them down.So I have a few hours of town time left today. Cold soda and Gatorade are on the agenda tonight - along with how I can figure a way to carry out some cold watermelon.
Date: 2016-08-11
From: Little Bigelow Lean-To

To: US 201 - Caratunk, ME - Mile 2,037.5
Miles today: 21.7

A fly landed on my shirt and drowned. That's what Subman said around 7:30 this morning after climbing a few hundred feet on something that hasn't even been given its own name. It was hot. It was humid. It was tiring. Where was this supposed easy trail? The climbs and descents weren't part of the trail today but rocks and roots seemed to be everywhere. It seemed that we had to scrap for most of the day. It was exhausting in this weather. Subman and Suds took the opportunity to cool off on the sandy beach of West Carry Pond. I was trying to figure out how to cross the Kennebec River.The Kennebec River is the one spot on the AT where hikers are asked not to hike. Instead, a free ferry service is provided to take hikers across the river. My problem was I couldn't get to the Kennebec before the ferry service ended today's crossings at 2:00. The AWOL Guide lists Cheryl Anderson as providing a few-based ferry service. I didn't have a telephone signal for most of the day but finally got one and arranged for Cheryl to take me across the river. We're asked not to ford this river because someone di trying to ford it. The Kennebec's current is already strong but a plant above the crossing releases substantial water as the plant's operator determines. The river swells as this water overwhelms everything in its path. Cheryl Anderson works absurdly hard for her $30 fee. I gladly paid it. Cheryl says she is one of 30 Caratunk residents who live here all year. She lives on the Caratunk side of the Kennebec and was able to see me when I arrived; in other words she was very flexible about the time I'd get there for the ferry. I was there when I said I'd be there but had some doubt about getting there in time because most of the trail after the Pierce Pond Lean-To required hard hiking through the rocks and roots over ups and downs. Getting across today gives me a chance to get to Monson late Saturday afternoon - a plan Subman proposed a couple days ago. As it is, there's still 30+ miles to hike to get there. Cheryl said that the trail gets easier as hikers go north of Caratunk. I wanted to tell her that's what I expected today.
Date: 2016-08-14
From: ME 15, Monson, ME - Mile 2,074.6

To: ME 15, Monson, ME - Mile 2,074.6
Miles today: 0.0

Subman & Suds arrived before 1:00. Plans have been made for the 100 Mile Widerness that we intend to complete in 6 days. Hard to believe we're here together. Subman, Suds, Spirit of 76 all met on Day 1 (February 16th). We've had different paths but here we are with about one week left to get to Mt. Katahdin. If you read this journal from the beginning then you know that Matt Briggs, who became Blues Brother, and I met at the Hiker Hostel before I started on the 16th. Blues and I didn't hike together until a shelter before Clingmans Dome but then we hiked together for more than 500 miles. Blues is here too. Stripe came down the stairs at Shaws when Subman and I briefly stopped there. So happy that he agreed to join us. So our "bags are packed and we're ready to go." We won't be leaving on a jet plane but instead will be driven to the trailhead by Beth after breakfast. She'll make a couple of trips there so that we can all start together. Like our journey so far, we'll probably get through this next hundred miles in various ways with different experiences and perspectives. Are we ready for this next section? Are we ready for this amazing journey to end? We'll soon see.Given that the 100 Mile Wilderness sign says this is the longest wilderness area, I doubt that Internet access will be as readily available as it has been. I'll send my journals to my daughter Anne as promptly as I can so that she can post them. But please be patient and be confident that I am safe and with friends - somewhere.
Date: 2016-08-16
From: Long Pond Stream North of Road - Mile 2,088.8

To: West Branch Pleasant River - Mile 2,104.9 
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Today felt more like the wilderness than yesterday. We didn't cross a road until the last half mile. Then a nice young man came with Cokes as we were getting water from the Pleasant River. Was happy to have a Coke but his arrival made it seem more like another day out here than the perceived remote 100 Mile Wilderness. Today's trail was filled with boulders and roots. There weren't many photos to be taken. I like to get something more - a view, a waterfall, cascading water, something - than I got today for today's hard hiking. There were many climbs today and I'd say they were harder than most. The cumulative effect of all of them combined with numerous ups and downs over boulders made for a tiring day. My right ankle felt stiff and unreliable early in the morning but it seemed to improve as the day went on. It could be that my ankle got better as I got slower.Stripe was with us all day but forded Pleasant River to do another 5 miles while Subman, Suds, and I decided to camp before fording the river since tenting is allowed on our side but not the other. Stripe will now hike on without us in order to meet up with his sister and brother-in-law, who arrive on Saturday at a location a bit farther than the rest of us will get to by then. We are intending to summit Katahdin on the same day so we should see him again. We got a view of Mt Katahdin today. It seems so far away. We came upon a day hiker early this morning. He asked where we were coming from and someone said "Georgia". With a big smile on his face he said "Wow!! Yup, it's pretty amazing to have hiked from there.
Date: 2016-08-18
From: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-To - Mile 2,129.4

To: White House Landing - Mile 2,143.4 
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I know we're in the 100 Mile Wilderness but today seemed like I'm at a resort. We hiked 14 miles that was primarily park-like trail that was periodically interrupted by rocks and roots.Our destination today was White House Landing, a place to enjoy Pemadumcook Lake where we can dry out, get food and supplies, and sleep in a bed. Pretty cushy for the wilderness. Getting supplies here let us not carry another 2 days of food before exiting the wilderness. Subman, Suds, and Blues Brother are here with me. Spirit of 76 and Aracne arrived in time for dinner. Subman & Suds canoed and Blues Brother kayaked to get a view of Mt. Katahdin. Tonight is a full moon and we have clear skies so it should be special.Today's weather while we were hiking was steamy. The prior day's rain was baking in the woods. A bit warm and uncomfortable to hike but the trail was so easy that today's hiking time was done early. This afternoon was time to hand wash clothes and dry everything. It rained a couple times but there was a nice breeze and clothes on the line eventually dried. The trail is supposed to be easy to Katahdin now. It's hard to believe we're this close.
Date: 2016-08-22
From: Katahdin Stream Campground - Mile 2,183.9

To: Katahdin Stream Campground - Mile 2,183.9
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

It rained hard this morning. Hope everyone hiking today hikes safely. The forecast has called for this rain for the last week and led to our decision to hike Mt. Katahdin tomorrow instead of today. So we get a rest day before hiking this challenging mountain. Stripe was with us this morning and told us about his summit yesterday when he summited with his sister and brother-in-law. He had a long day and said it was easily one of the hardest climbs experienced on the AT. Blues Brother hiked it quickly and said there was one mile of difficult hiking, but I get the impression from Stripe that hiking Mt. Katahdin will be a significant challenge. Being here at the base of Mt. Katahdin is a bit unreal. Except for the 33 mile section north of Mt. Washington that I intend to hike later this week, I hiked here from Georgia - GEORGIA! I really did it. Me - with so much help from so many people - with the good wishes and support from so many people, including you. I've recently realized that I didn't take much time to plan my hike for the New Hampshire and Maine sections of the AT. I now recall running out of time to do such planning in the weeks before this hike began. It's not because I thought I'd never get here, but instead thought I'd learn so much along the way and knew how planning that far in advance was foolhardy because the trail would jostle me around so much.   The AT certainly has smacked me a bit. But I'm here. There are less than 40 miles to hike. I'm asked about having to return to the White Mountains to hike the miles skipped in order to take the opportunity to hike to Katahdin with Subman and Suds. I am so happy that I made that decision. I've enjoyed hiking with them and realize, as I think about it now, that through them I've met some of their amazing friends. Surrounding yourself with great people leads to meeting other great people.The group gathered this morning to reminisce as we rested. Chairs kept on being added as our numbers swelled. Stripe and his sister, Janet. Beth and me. Spirit of 76. Forrest, Sherrie, and Mustard Seed arrived. Mustard Seed threw a coin at the window of the room occupied by Subman and Suds so that they'd join us. Slug arrived with Natalie. We laughed and talked. We're all here. I'm here with Beth. Beth will hike Katahdin with me tomorrow morning. It's more than I ever could've planned.
Date: 2016-08-24
From: Mt. Katahdin Summit - Mile 2,189.1

To: Gorham, New Hampshire
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

It's a travel day for many of us who summited Mt. Katahdin. Some are remaining in Millinocket today and will begin their travels tomorrow. Beth and I picked up Spirit of 76 early this morning and drove her to Aunt Alice's hotel. Aunt Alice volunteered to give Spirit a ride to Bangor, Maine last night since she was going through it on her way home to Bar Harbor, Maine. Thanks Aunt Alice - I really appreciate you helping Spirit! Spirit will find her way home after she stops to see friends along the way.Beth dropped me off in Gorham, New Hampshire today so that I can begin hiking my 33 missing miles that were skipped in order for me to hike Maine with Subman & Suds. I didn't know back then that I'd also be hiking with Blues Brother, Spirit of 76, and other great folks. I feel great about that decision and will now hike these tough miles in the White Mountains. Beth then continued her chauffeur services as she headed back to Connecticut with Subman and Suds in board. Beth will drop them off in Sherman, Connecticut where there car is waiting for them at a friend of Subman's sister. Subman and Suds will then visit family and take a side trip or two en route to going home in Georgia. Speaking with hikers who summited Mt. Katahdin yesterday, it seems we all can use this day to let sore muscles get some rest. It seems like a zero day for many and life after the trail won't begin in earnest until we get home. Let's hope everyone gets home safely!
Date: 2017-02-13
To: Best Wishes To All
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Fresh Ground started hiking today. It's been almost one year since I started my hike. So many great memories - so many great people. I was so lucky. Sounds like Booty will be starting soon too andBlues Brother will either be out there or be working at a hostel. In about a month, Subman & Suds will marry at Springer Mountain and Stripe says he's planning on being there. I'm sure Trail Chef and Judi will be there too. It will be a great chance to see all of them so that's a trip I intend to make. I'm hoping to find some of these hikers along the way.I'm hoping that Swamp Angel and Captain Kirk will send me this year's hiking plan. Jennifer & Jeff will be resuming their section hike too. I've just read in trailjournals that Signage and Holcomb are returning to the trail. Sounds like I have the chance to do some trail magic and share a few moments - can't wait.Plans are underway for a trek in a couple months. More on that later. For now, best wishes to my great friends, all those already out there, and those who are making their final plans. Enjoy!!
Date: 2017-04-17
To: Nepal
Miles today: 0.0

Reunions are so special. Subman & Suds were married on a beautiful day in March at Springer Mountain, the AT's starting point. Attending the ceremony were their children, friends, and some of their extensive trail family. Stripe, Forrest, and I represented the 2016 contingent. Trail Chef was there too. It was great seeing everyone.On my way to Springer, I caught up with Fresh Ground in Elk Garden (Virginia) and with Blues Brother and Booty in Franklin (North Carolina). They all looked great. I haven't been in contact with Booty and Blues Brother since then but saw Fresh Ground again in Glasgow (Virginia) on a separate trip. Fresh Ground just passed the 1000 mile marker and intends to hike to Katahdin this year. Booty intends to get there too and his timetable is such that he just might catch Fresh Ground before then. Maybe I'll be able to see them again in Connecticut or Massachusetts.Time spent with these friends was so enjoyable and the memories of last year's hike came back so quickly. It was great seeing everyone.Today starts a new adventure. I am joining David (my son) and several of his colleagues and friends on a trip to Nepal. We'll follow the Everest Base Camp route for most of trip before veering off to go to Imja Lake, a glacial lake on which his research has found him here several times before.Thanks to everyone who I hiked with last year and to everyone who signed in my journal. I've been reading my journal entries from last year and continue to be stunned by that experience. I'm hoping to start another one now. All the best! Enjoy!
Date: 2016-02-29
To: Food Prep - Continued
Miles today: 0.0

Continued taking over the roommates' kitchen (coughcoughmyparentscoughcough). Made several weeks worth of trail mix with Harmony House dehydrated fruit, M&Ms, craisins, mixed nuts. Will stash full resupply of food in my sister's rental car at Neel Gap. She is hiking first 4 days with me and then leaving for her college spring break.P.s. - I'm such a good brother that I even prepped her trail mix and some meals for her
Date: 2016-03-06
From: Amicalola Falls Visitor Center

To: Stover Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

After watching too many episodes of "OJ vs the People" in the hotel room while my dad and sister snored on Saturday night, I was finally standing at the rock arch outside of the Amicalola Visitor Center bright and early Sunday morning. Many people choose to start right at Springer Mountain instead of the additional 8.8 mile approach trail (which isn't included in the overall AT mileage), but for some reason I had never even considered that option. After registering as a thru-hiker at the Visitor Center, weighing my pack (29 pounds with 4 days of food and a liter of water), I was finally doing it. An encouraging and friendly worker offered to take a picture of my dad, sister and I under the arch, and off we were.The Stairs...oof. Almost immediately, the trek involved climbing 600+ stairs to the top of the falls and the 29 pound pack started to feel a whole lot heavier. I would be lying if I said the thought of "WTF am I doing.." didn't cross my mind. At the top of the falls, the author of The A.T. Guide, who many people worship due to the all-encompassing usefulness of his book, was running a booth since it was "AT Kick-Off Weekend". After a very underwhelming conversation and awkward book signing, I would have been more than happy to continue climbing stairs for the rest of the day.After another mile down the trail, my dad decided to say his goodbyes and did a very poor job trying to hide his jealousy. The rest of the day was relatively uneventful, making small talk with a bunch of giddy thru-hikers and passing by the doubtful stares of locals who see hundreds of people quit after just a few days -- every year. Reaching the summit of Springer Mountain truly meant the start of my journey. Mile 0.0 out of 2189.1. Even though I had already done 8.8. Dumb.Got to Stover Creek Shelter and made some dehydrated pasta for dinner. Immediately after, a couple, who completed the AT going southbound (SOBO) brought 50 Taco Bell tacos to the shelter along with a full box of Girl Scout Thin Mints. This is called Trail Magic. Only having been in the "wilderness" for less than 12 hours at this point, I ate a few, but didn't exhibit "Hiker Hunger" that I will most certainly have later in this trek. Trail Magic is more than welcomed by thru-hikers whose daily diets consist of oatmeal, Clif Bars, dried mashed potatoes, beef jerky and Ramen Noodles for 5-6 months of their lives. There will come a time where I would gluttonously eat multiple Grande Meals of cold, wet Taco Bell tacos... Ended the night with a fire and some good company sampling a fellow hiker's homemade Sweet Tea Moonshine.P.S. - Slept in shelter with my little sis and 1 other person (everyone else tented). Might be my last shelter experience unless the weather is terrible. Mice were running rampant throughout the night.P.S.S. - Wow. I'm actually doing it...
Date: 2016-03-07
From: Stover Creek Shelter

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Pretty sure my sister, Tara, would have slept until noon if there weren't multiple people cooking breakfast and packing up their tents in the a.m. When we were growing up, she had typically gone for a run, made some ridiculously good artistic craft or trinket and eaten 2 meals before I stumbled down the stairs for some food in the "morning". Yes, 11:45 a.m. may be a technicality, but morning nonetheless... But last night, she had apparently buried herself in her sleeping bag and avoided the sun's blinding rays. She had also apparently avoided hearing the mice running circles around and over us all night. Anywho, today was another great day. We were feeling good and crushed a 13 mile trek to Gooch with plenty of daylight to spare. A foursome of Florida State bro's on spring break stumbled into camp with 50 pound packs filled with completely unnecessary items, but somehow had neglected to bring a single tent. A fellow thru-hiker wasn't too pleased that there would be 4 more bodies squished into the shelter, but thankfully, we had decided to tent long before this ordeal. This same thru-hiker also "instructed" the students to pull their weight around camp and made them go get firewood for the rest of our enjoyment.Camped next to some great people and stayed up sharing stories and laughs with a completely new group of people than the night before. Sipped some more whiskey around the fire and called it a night. Another great day in the books.