morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-07-25
From: Ridgway, CO

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Very excited (or as I hear often skiing on the slopes here in Colorado, "stoked") that my time to head back is fast approaching! Unfortunately, Daddy Longlegs had to leave the trail due to a broken leg (understandable) so my plans have changed. My wife and I are leaving Colorado Thursday, July 27th to head east, and will stay with her parents in Massachusetts till Thursday Aug 3rd, where we will head north to Baxter SP. Looking forward to seeing that part of the country as I have not had much Maine time yet. Plan to Summit Katahdin on Friday and head south out of the park and into the 100 mile wilderness early that Saturday morning. I will begin posting here Aug. 6th for my newly reclassified "flip-flop" hike. I hope to see many of the people I hiked with heading north as I pass south.The trail is a very cruel mistress, no amount of planning, preparing or training can save you from a broken leg or other injuries (ask Daddy Longlegs), ticks with Lyme disease, food poisoning, weather, home sickness, finances, problems at home or anything else that can pull you off the trail either delaying or ending a hike. I have prepared myself as best I can for my return and will be trying hard to avoid any trail ending issues, but you never know what is ahead, that is what makes it exciting. So far I have made lifelong friends, seen wonderful things and discovered that yes, I can really eat all that!I will take one step at a time and enjoy the journey while I am there.
Date: 2017-08-04
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: View Entry
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: few clouds

Up eaely and on to the trail. Great to be doing miles again! Had to hit the tent early last night as the skeeters were out in full force. Baxter SP opens the gates at 6:00am so we had to wait till then to get to the trailhead. As soon as I got out of my car I hear "Hodge Podge!" It was the group I played cards with at Pine Grove Furnace in PA before I was picked up for my recovery. Ran into several other hikers I had hiked with down south heading up to their finish, great to see them all. Hard climb to the summit but worth it even in the fog. No views today. Went down the Abol Campground route to avoid the exposure. Good move as Katahdin was socked in by clouds, and wet. Back at Big Eddy Campground for the night with my wife. Begin the 100 Mile wilderness tomorrow and can't wait!
Date: 2017-08-05
From: Big Eddy Campground

To: Hurd Brook Lean to
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

My wife Sharon dropped me off at the trailhead where we said our goodbyes, really going to miss my best friend but great to be back hiking.Trail south from Katahdin Steam Campground was very quiet for the first couple of miles. Relatively flat with the trail covered in pine needles kind of like a "red carpet" to Kathadin. No sound at all but me hiking. The skeeters were out in force on the way to Abol Bridge, the north end of the 100 Mile Wilderness. Ran into a couple of hikers coming out who said the bugs were terrible so I went to the Abol Campground store and bought an extrememly expensive bottle of DEET, which I never had to use. Went into the 100 mile wilderness with high spirits and stopped at the first shelter early to avoid over doing it the first day. At 8:15 still had the shelter to myself so I set up my tent inside the shelter to avoid the bugs. Rain began falling shortly thereafter. I enjoyed listening to the pitter patter on the tin roof and watch the glow in the dark stars someone had put on the ceiling. Rained really hard with some lightning. What a welcome back!
Date: 2017-08-06
From: Hurd Brook Lean to

To: Wadleigh Stream Lean to
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: scattered clouds

On the trail at 7:15 after crazy rain the night before heading to a mountain covered in wild Maine blueberries. Had to stop and enjoy those, yum! Descended to Rainbow Lake where the next 6 miles of the trail was mud and pools of water several feet deep in some areas from the previous nights downpours. I tried to keep my feet somewhat dry but failed early on so I just sloshed through the mud and pools.Kept passing large groups, boy scouts, girl scouts, camps, wilderness training and even a sorority. Lots more people out here than I expected.Had the fortune of running into two friends from hiking down south, Sensi and Fragendaz, and... Chiklett! Great to see all of them and glad they are all still on the trail.Found a camp with three other SOBO's (southbounders) glad to find some others heading south. Tenting tonight and it is warm!
Date: 2017-08-07
From: Wadleigh Stream Lean to

To: Antlers Campsite
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke to a beautiful morning but had to put on wet shoes and socks after yesterdays endeavours. No drying things out here with the east-coast humidity.Passed several streams and lakes with beautiful sandy beaches. Met a SOBO Andrew who I talked with for some time. We decided to meet up at our destination campsite later. Shortly thereafter, I came across a large porcupine sitting in the middle of the trail, we looked at each other for a minute before he waddled off and climbed a tree.Began getting hot spots on my toes so I stopped and wrapped them but that did not stop the blisters from coming. Seems the wetness and the new shoes having a smaller toe box than what I used down south are creating havoc on my feet. I camped at a place called the Antlers where all the sites are on a peninsula jutting into a large lake.Found a great site with a beautiful view and small beach but it was next to a group of 25 partying thru-hikers known as "the horde". They are known throughout the hiking community as not being friendly, trashing areas, being very loud, not respecting the trail and using their numbers to run other hikers out of shelters and campsites. Unfortunately, this type of group pops up every year. Along with the horde there is another group called the "dirty thirty" who are known to be even worse. The horde had just gotten a resupply with a lot of beer. Needless to say, they were not a group I wanted to camp near so I looked around for another site and found Andrew is a secluded spot. He helped me move my camp and we talked well into the evening. After dinner, two more SOBO's came in that I camped with last night so they stayed near us.The moon came up full, huge and orange around dusk so we all watched it rise. Beautiful spot!
Date: 2017-08-08
From: Antlers Campsite

To: Logan Brook Lean To
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Rained last night but I stayed dry and cozy in my tent. Knew I had some miles to go so I got up at 5am and began packing up while the rain was still coming down. Just as I finished packing and was stretching, the rain stopped, wet, I began hiking before 6. One of the first hikers I came across was El Jeffe, now know as Bad Taste, who I had not seen since day 5 in Georgia. We talked for some time catching up before moving on. Was the day for familiar faces I also ran across 4-Wheel Drive, Waldo, Giggles and Adeline. Great to see them all almost done. Passed by Mud Pond, Cooper Pond and Crawford Pond before beginning the first real climb since Katahdin, White Cap Mountain. Stopped at the shelter about 1/2 mile from the top with Andrew for the night. Andrew has gotten a trail name, Fuel, as he ran out half way through. Here with John, a section hiker from Akron Ohio.
Date: 2017-08-09
From: Logan Brook Lean To

To: Primitive Site
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: clear sky

Having trouble uploading photos, I will add them when I can.Up early again after a cold night on the mountain. A cold front came through last night dropping the temps but I was warm in my bag. On the trail by 6:15 heading to the top of White Cap Mountain which provides NOBOs (northbound hikers) their first clear view of their end, Mt. Katahdin. Met many hikers on top with great views as it was a clear morning. All the NOBO's wanted to know which mountain Katahdin was so I played guide for a while pointing it out.Headed down and ran into another old friend, Circus, who is doing great. Shortly thereafter I met Scout and Multi Tool. Ironically, it is my hat that most recognize me with and not the rave green Sounders XBOX jersey.Went over Hay Mtn and West Peak before fording the Pleasant River. It was shallow but wide, so I had to switch out of my boots to my Croc camp shoes to cross. My feet have widened in the toes causing blisters on my little and big toes on both feet making every step painful. Nothing to do but move forward to Monson.Got water at Chairback Pond where Fuel decided to stay for the night and I hiked on hoping to cross Chairback Mountain before stopping. Got mostly up and was beat so I found a mossy spot and threw up my tent. While I was cooking dinner, another hiker, Preacherman, came along and I invited him to sit for awhile. We talked and he decided to throw his tent up next to mine rather than continue. Clear night so I did not put the tent fly on allowing me to watch the stars throughout the night.
Date: 2017-08-10
From: Primitive Site

To: Wilson Valley Lean To
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: clear sky

Woke up to continued clear skies promising a nice day. While I was packing up Fuel hiked up, he got up real early and covered the 2.5 miles fast to catch up. Had to climb Chairback Mountain as the trail follows a rock slide up the mountain. Several hikers that came down it the previous day warned us not to hike it at night, not nearly as bad a climb as it was made out to be and we completed it in about 15 min. Great views at the top! The trail continued on with lots of ups and downs that were not easy. Many large roots and rocks breaking up my stride really slowing me down. Good views from the Barren Mtn Ledges before heading down more than 1350 feet in less than a mile, really steep.Just after getting down, there was a big sign for trail magic, Fuel and I had to go there! Met Scout and Birdman who made us hot dogs, burgers and gave us sodas and chips in memory of Scout's son, Yogi, who thru-hiked in 1992 and is no longer with us. Thank you gentlemen!Hiked the next 3.5 miles to the shelter with Fuel where there were two others. Very tired tonight, looking forward to hitting the sack!
Date: 2017-08-11
From: Wilson Valley Lean To

To: Shaws
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Hot, almost no sleep last night so I was exhausted all day. no real mountains to climb today but lots of steep ups and downs. Rain came in fast and hard around 10am making the glacially polished rocks on the trail very slick, slowing Fuel and I way down. Finally made it to the extraction point and calked Shaws for a ride. Poet, the owner, showed up about 5 min later taking us to Monson and his hostel just as the sun came out.Showered and went to eat at the Lakeshore before doing laundry.Hung out with Raptor, Hawk, Tin Cup, Eager Beaver, Sunset, Preacherman and Fuel.
Date: 2017-08-12
From: Shaws

To: Shaws
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Had a great breakfast with Fuel at Petes Place. He ordered the 100 mile breakfast consisting of 3 eggs, bacon, home fries, grits, toast and 3 huge pancakes. I had the special corned beef hash which was great.Fuel is in the Air Force and between assignments till November so he is hiking as far south as he can until then. He received a call from his CO saying he needed to report to his next assignment Friday. Bummed as we get along well and hiked similar miles. Best of luck to him.We hung out in Monson doing resupplies for me and trying to break in my new shoes I had shipped to Shaws before hitting the trail tomorrow. Fuel bought me dinner of Lobster Rolls to thank me for showing him the ins and outs of trail life. Will miss him and hope to hike with him sometime in the future.
Date: 2017-08-13
From: Shaws

To: Moxie Bald Lean To
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Up at 6 to hang with Fuel before breakfast. Poet's coffee is excellent as is his breakfast, wonderful meal. Said goodbye to everyone and Poet dropped Preacher Man and I at the trail head. Trail was easy for Maine but we did have 3 fords. They were easy but having to remove your shoes and put them back on takes time.Ran into Sunny, Iron Lungs and Torch. Sunny had been hiking with Daddy Long Legs before he got hurt.The shelter is on a lake with Loons swimming about. Had dinner on the shore and enjoyed just soaking in the scenery. One of the reasons I am here!Feet are doing much better with the new shoes.
Date: 2017-08-14
From: Moxie Bald Lean To

To: Caratunk B&B
Miles today: 19.8

Little sleep last night so I was sluggish in the morning and did not start hiking till after 7. Went up Moxie Bald to some spectacular views, could just make out Katahdin in the distance. Next mountain was Pleasant Pond which has 5 false summits and I hit them in the heat of the day slowing me down.Sat down to lunch just before the summit and up walks Shop Teacher, have not seen him since North Carolina.Staying at the Caratunk B&B as everyone kept saying to stop here, nice place. Had a really good pulled pork sandwich and fresh milkshakes for dinner. Here with Raptor, Hawk, Eager Beaver, Dez, and some NOBOs. Broke my trekking pole today so Poet from Shaws is dropping a new set by tomorrow morning.
Date: 2017-08-15
From: Caratunk B&B

To: West Carry Lean To
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Up at 6 to have coffee with Paul, the B&B owner, while he made breakfast for us all, great food, thanks Paul! My new poles arrived from Shaw's right on schedule, so off I went to the ferry across the Kenebec River. The ferry is a canoe paid for by the ATC as the river is unpredictable and too dangerous to ford. Relatively easy terrain today which I made quick work of to beat the predicted afternoon thunderstorms. Stayed dry in the shelter with Neon, Raptor Hawk and Saltlick.
Date: 2017-08-16
From: West Carry Lean To

To: Avery Memorial Campsite
Miles today: 14.9

Slept in a little and started hiking at 7. The trail was very muddy due to last nights rain making the rocks very slick, had to be really careful and went slow. Climbed up Little Bigelow Mtn and hung out at the top with Neon enjoying the views. Hard hike up Avery and camping just below the summit in a saddle between the two peaks, Avery and Bigelow. Highest campsite in the north east. Cold front appears to be moving in so I was in bed early to stay warm after setting up my tent on one of the platforms there.
Date: 2017-08-17
From: Avery Memorial Campsite

To: White Wolf Inn, Stratton
Miles today: 8.2

Thanks for all the comments, I really enjoy hearing from readers!Very cold and windy last night, upper 30's I heard. Sluggish start breaking camp as I kept putting my hands in my pockets to warm them up. The trail was steep and foggy as it was in a cloud, so no views and I climbed over the exposed summit. I moved very fast as the wind was really kicking pushing me around and I wanted to limit my exposure on the summit. Hiked down to the road with Neon where we immediately got a ride into the town of Stratton. Did laundry, resupplied, cleaned and repaired some gear during the day. Ran into Mantis who I have not seen since Damascus VA. Had dinner with Hawk, Raptor and Macaroni. Hawk is leaving tomorrow to begin grad school, good luck to her.I also received a surprise of some awesome cookies from my friends the Henderson's, thank you!
Date: 2017-08-18
From: White Wolf Inn, Stratton

To: Spaulding Mtn Lean To
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: light rain

Hitched a ride to the trailhead with no problem and hiking by 7:45. Stratton is know to be very hiker friendly, thank you Stratton. Dry, clean and feeling good! That lasted an hour before the rain hit. Ended up completely drenched, but as it has been said, "no rain, no Maine".Ran into Reyce who I last saw at the NOC in TN. The trail had 4, 2000 mile markers for the NOBOs but still no markers for SOBOs. SOBO lives matter!Lots of scrambling over rocks and roots made for a tough day. At a packed shelter for the night and a large group came in at 9:45 when most were asleep. They proceeded to make tons of noise and kept shining their lights into the shelter till after 12:30 after repeatedly being asked by numerous occupants to please stop. Oh well, most of us were up at 5:15 the next morning and probably woke them.
Date: 2017-08-19
From: Spaulding Mtn Lean To

To: Piazza Mtn Lean To
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: few clouds

After all the rain the day before everything was wet. The trail, hard in ME, was made even harder with the wet rocks. Steep climb over Saddleback Mtn which offered great views, fantastic! The down part got really hard as the trail is really steep,mostly slabls of slick granite and wet. Fell 8x on my way down. The last 2, I landed hard on my hip twice in the same spot. The last one, I got to the top of the slope, looked down and said to myself, "there is no way I will not fall on this". tried to find another way down but it was pretty well cliffed out except for the trail (steep granite slab) so I tried to minimize any hard impacts by crouching as low as I could and moving slowly. This did not work and I hit hard sliding down. Very painful, will have to keep an eye on my hip. Was having a rough time and feeling down when I finally got to the shelter. When I came around the corner, there sat Floater who I hiked the Shenandoah's with! Great to see her and catching up really lifted my spirits. She had gotten Lyme disease from a tick in Connecticut and stayed at the Cabin hostel to recover. She is heading north so I will not see her again. We were talking when another hiker came in, Hoppy, who I had not seen since the Smokies! The trail works in mysterious ways...
Date: 2017-08-20
From: Piazza Mtn Lean To

To: Primitive Site
Miles today: 16.0

After yesterdays hard hike, I decided to take a shorter day and go 11 mi to the next shelter. Said goodbye to Floater, seeing her really lifted my spirits when I needed it, and set off down the trail. Trail was much more foregiving today and I made good time. I decided to go further than planned and camped at a primitive site 5 mi further. Macaronni and Flying Fish stopped by while I was making dinner on rheir way to the next shelter. No rain tonight so no fly on the tent allowing for some star gazing.
Date: 2017-08-21
From: Primitive Site

To: Primitive Site
Miles today: 14.8

Up at 5:20am but did not start hiking till 6:45. My hip is feels better but I have a large bruise. Immediately out of camp the trail went straight up to Beamis Mtn. Lots of ups and downs across a ridge before the trail kicked up to cross Old Blue Mtn. Had lunch on top and had my first view of the White Mtns in New Hampshire. Going down was hard with lots of straight down rock faces which are difficult to manage as I found out the previous day. Went over Moody Mtn with an even worse descent, the hardest so far. Fortunately there were cables and metal ladders embedded in some of the rock faces to help out. And they say the worst is yet to come...Stayed at the bottom of Moody Mtn next to a large creek in an established camping area that was very nice. Another group came in heading south, they were later to be known as the "Tweeds", had a good time talking with them as they are young and crazy.Nice day, low 70's and partial sun.
Date: 2017-08-22
From: Primitive Site

To: The Cabin
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Was awake when light began coming through the trees (as I had no tent fly on again due to the clear sky) so got up early.The campsite had a picnic table which was the first one in Maine, it is all about the small things...I wanted to arrive at the hostel early so I hit the trail. Went up and down over Wyman Mtn which was not too bad and a rare easy slope down to the pickup point for The Cabin where Floater had stayed. Got picked up and resupplied on my way to the hostel. Was the only one there for awhile allowing me to shower, washing away the muck, clean and dry my gear and wash my clothes before the more hikers and the rains came in the early afternoon. Had a great dinner provided by Bear and Honey (owners of The Cabin and both in their 80's) and talked with them for a good while afterward. Great people. They have a large table for the hiker meals that many (including Earl Schaffer, the first thru-hiker) have signed and they asked if I would sign it. I was honored.Here with Neon and Flying Fish, also saw Two Dogs today, last saw him in TN.
Date: 2017-08-23
From: The Cabin

To: Grafton Notch
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Great breakfast at The Cabin. Yard Dart and his wife Lazer Beam offered to shuttle me south so I could hike the Mahoosuc Notch and Arm going north. Thought about it as it is supposed to be easier that way, but declined in the end for logistical reasons. Dropped at the trailhead by Hopper from The Cabin, who picked me up the day before, with Flying Fish and we headed up the trail. Long climb up Baldplate Mtn which was really slow going. Many rock slabs that were wet hindering progress, go figure. The views from the top were fabulous though, well worth the trek!We headed slowly down the mountain and finally got to Grafton Notch and found a primitive site to throw my tent up. Had a great day with beautiful weather and good companionship.
Date: 2017-08-24
From: Grafton Notch

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: clear sky

Up early as it is a big day today. Will be doing the Mahoosuc Arm (one of the steepest descents) and the "hardest mile", the Mahoosuc Notch (climbing over, around and under boulders for a mile). NOBO's have been telling us how difficult this will be for days now.The trail started up and over Speck Mtn to warm us up. Long climb but good views from a fire tower at the top.Next, the Arm. I started down expecting a straight up and down I had been hearing about, never materialized much to my relief. Made it to the bottom with no problems, really no worse than anything else we had done, actually a little easier than some of the others. Then the Notch. Easy to tell you have hit it as you suddenly have to climb over, under and around boulders, lots of them. Hardest part was squeezing through a small slot under some rocks and having to get my pack through. Took me about 1 hour and 45 min to complete the mile, mostly because I would have to stop and find the best route as I am heading south. Going north, much of the Notch has arrows pointing which way to go showing you the best route, going south you have to figure it out yourself. Glad to be done with these two parts of the trail as it took a lot out if me. Flying Fish wanted to do some more miles so we parted ways, I hope to see him down the trail.Climbed out of the Notch to the shelter where I ran into Tumbleweed, last saw him in TN. Large shelter and thought I would be the only hiker inside until a huge group of NOBO's came in. They were all complaining about how difficult Maine was and many were covered in mud up to their mid thigh from not respecting the bogs enough and sinking in.Glad this day is done!