morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-08-30
From: Gorham

To: Bull Branch Campsite
Miles today: 23.6
Weather: clear sky

I crossed the Maine border yesterday chatting with "Extra Tough" and looking out for moose. Saw one track but nothing else so far. I camped at the crowded Carlo Col shelter just past the border last night. Today I climbed over the awesome Goose Eye Mountain and then dropped down into the infamous Mahoosuc Notch. The AWOL guidebook describes this area as the "Most difficult or fun mile of the AT". Although I took the liberty to mutter "man, this really Mahoosucks" a few times, I came away leaning more towards the fun side. I think that the most difficult miles are when the trail just goes up and up for hours at a time when you're already exhausted. Anyway, the notch is a deep crevice that has filled up with giant boulders fallen from the steep mountain faces that flank it. The trail through is a choose-your-own-adventure style scramble. I chose mostly to climb around the toughest areas but did challenge myself to maneuver through a few rock tunnels, shoving my backpack through first and then squeezing myself through after.Not feeling like climbing Mahoosuc Arm or paying the $8 caretaker fee for the shelter at the top of it I settled down early at a nice camping area just past the Notch.
Date: 2016-08-31
From: Bull Branch Campsite

To: Baldplate Lean To
Miles today: 9.3

I enjoyed Mahoosuc Notch and hate to say it but the trail in southern Maine has now become difficult beyond any realm of fun for me. I feel weak and very worn down. I have decided to abandon my plan of making it all the way to Stratton, ME for the Labor Day Florida State football opening game against Ole Miss and instead take it slow and aim to be in Rangeley for it. I think that the slower rate of hiking will let me enjoy things a little bit more and will help me recover a bit physically and mentally.I stopped tonight at the Baldplate shelter just a mile or two past Grafton notch, setting my tent up in a cleared spot off the shelter side trail. As I wrote in my journal right around dusk, I started hearing something stomping through the underbrush and a noise like bark being stripped off of trees. Listening and not making a sound, I realized that the noise was something big ripping up grasses up nearby and chewing them. Daring to unzip my tent, I shone my headlamp around but it seemed that the visitor was just around the bend in the trail. I leaned further out, grabbed my crocs, and clapped them together loudly. Whatever it was went clomping off towards the AT. I'm not sure, but I think I had a close call with a moose. I've had a lot of deer come visiting around campsites on this trip but this thing sounded big!
Date: 2016-09-01
From: Baldplate Lean To

To: East B Hill Rd / Andover, ME
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: light rain

Another slow, weak day but with an amazing ascent over Baldplate Mountain's bare rock dome. I talked a bit with Cheeks at lunch but felt bad afterwards for being a bit tired and negative.Hiked down later to the first Andover road crossing, an unpainted backwoods road. It took about 20 minutes but the 2nd vehicle to drive by, a nice young guy on his way back to town from buying a new hunting rifle, picked me up. There were quite a few familiar faces in town but many of them were either ten trail miles ahead at the second Andover road crossing or were skipping up to Rangeley for a festival the town is holding this weekend.My tent is set up behind a hiker friendly restaurant in town with a few other hikers. The night sky is absolutely breathtaking for us being right off of Main Street.
Date: 2016-09-02
From: East B Hill Rd / Andover, ME

To: South Arm Rd. Campsite
Miles today: 10.1

After getting groceries at a friendly convenience store in town and a fuel canister at the decidedly unfriendly Pine Ellis hostel, I spent about an hour and a half trying to hitch out of Andover this morning. The tiny town seems to only have a few dozen cars, none of which were headed to the middle of nowhere this morning.I finally got a ride from a nice guy who is involved with trail maintenance and hiker services at another hostel in Andover (I think it was "The Cabin"). Our conversation turned to wildlife and the bear hunt which had begun the day prior. The gentleman asked me if I had any orange to wear and I answered truthfully that I did not. I no longer even had the red bandana that I had wrapped around my hat in the hunting areas in Pennsylvania. "Well try not to look like a bear" he suggested.
Date: 2016-09-06
From: South Arm Rd. Campsite

To: Sandy River Stealth Spot
Miles today: 26.6

The past few days have been pretty relaxing and scenic. On the 4th, I caught a generous hiker feed from 2015 thru hiker Mufasa and spent a few hours on a beach by Sabbath Day Pond with "GI Jane" and a SoBo couple. Yesterday I made it to Rangeley via a nice couple visiting from London and who, quite frankly, were probably nor ready for how bad I smelled. I immediately did my first load of laundry since Gorham and got lunch at the grocery store in town. I had a fun night watching football at one of the bars in town and hanging out with Peanut, Rumblejunk, and others. I had a tough time leaving town after getting a few beers with the crowd of hikers that had filtered in but got out in the evening and set my tent up a few minutes down the trail from the road. I realized with horror as I pulled something out of my pack for dinner that I had forgotten to throw my trash bag out in town. Rookie mistake!!!
Date: 2016-09-08
From: Sandy River Stealth Spot

To: Crocker Cirque Campsite
Miles today: 24.7
Weather: broken clouds

I passed the 200-miles-remaining mark this morning and ran into long time trail friends Soda Pop and Pony Boy, accompanied by Soda Pop's dad Chuck at lunch. Talking and catching up, they told me that they had helped a hiker that wandered off trail and couldn't find their way back a few days prior. The conversation turned to the sad story of thru hiker "Inchworm" who went missing from the AT in Maine in 2013. Her body was discovered in 2015 and it was found that she had left the trail to use the bathroom and couldn't find her way back. Another hiker had joined our conversation told us that Inchworm had actually gone off trail very close to the area we were in. It was a humbling realization - although we all knew about Inchworm, we had all thought that she had gone missing in Maine's much less developed 100 Mile Wilderness and not this area which is crisscrossed by a good amount of forest roads and side trails.
Date: 2016-09-09
From: Crocker Cirque Campsite

To: Horns Pond Lean To
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: broken clouds

I started my day trudging my over North and South Crocker Mts and ended it dragging myself 2000 feet up to the amazing Horns Pond Lean To at the start of the Bigelows. In between, I hitched into Stratton for groceries and a beer. Believe it or not, it was my second consecutive ride into town that began with the driver saying "Man, you guys stink"! At least this guy handed out sprigs of dried sage to the hikers packed in the car and instructed us, in a possibly pleading tone, to light them on fire and rub them under out armpits while they are burning.
Date: 2016-09-11
From: Horns Pond Lean To

To: Pierce Pond Lean To
Miles today: 27.9

My knees and feet are hurting pretty bad after the Biga$$ Bigelows but they sure were breathtaking! I've been trying to plan ahead for the Kennebec River canoe ferry and will be catching it tomorrow. The ferry stops running at 2PM so I need to make sure I get there before then but it should only be a four mile hike from where I am at beautiful Pierce Pond. Thunderstorms blew through yesterday morning and now some chilly fall air has moved in. My 20 degree bag is about the perfect level of warmth for the temp outside and I think I'm in for one comfy sleeping night as I listen to Loons make their strange calls across the lake.
Date: 2016-09-13
From: Pierce Pond Lean To

To: Powerline Stealth Spot
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: light rain

After a great hike along Pierce Pond Stream I crossed the Kennebec River aboard the ATC canoe ferry. I hitched a few miles down the road to the Northern Outdoors Center outside of Caratunk. There is a good crew of hikers here and we stay up late drinking beers, ordering food, and playing cornhole outside.After waking up this morning I had a few cups of coffee with Chicken Fried, Spicy, Ranger, Joe, and Nacho and then spent a little time buying a plane ticket home. Painful but it needed to be done. The flight is for the 26th, so that's 13 days to do about 150 miles. I should have plenty of flexibility to take my time and enjoy my last two weeks on the trail.
Date: 2016-09-14
From: Powerline Stealth Spot

To: Horseshoe Canyon Tent Spot
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Last night I cowboy camped for the first time, sleeping out under the stars in a powerline cut about 12 miles out from Caratunk. It was nice falling asleep looking at the sky but I woke up before sunrise with my sleeping bag soaking wet from dew. Fortunately it's not a down bag and it dried pretty quick once the sun came up.I'm a bit upset over realizing that I left my trekking pole in the back of my ride out of Caratunk and my awesome Carhartt watch hat at the Northern Outdoors bunkhouse. RIP to two items with usefulness and sentimental value that won't be coming back with me.Today I took a long lunch waiting out some rain at a shelter with Joe, Nacho, GI Jane, and a few other hikers and picked up a copy of "Into The Wild" that someone had left there.
Date: 2016-09-15
From: Horseshoe Canyon Tent Spot

To: Leeman Brook Lean To
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: clear sky

I made it in and out of Monson, ME pretty easily- not that there was much worth stopping for. The 100 mile wilderness starts now!It was pretty tough buying six days of food while limiting weight as much as I could and I hope I got enough stuff. It's really tough to tell. I had to hit all of the resupply stops in town (a convenience stores, a hostel, and a deli/market) to fill in the gaps but I think I'll be alright.
Date: 2016-09-16
From: Leeman Brook Lean To

To: Cloud Pond Lean To
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: broken clouds

My first full day in the Hundred Mile Wilderness is down. I'm having a tough time limiting my snacking to conserve food. I'm thinking that I should have bought a few more candy bars to just stuff into any available pockets.I stopped at the 100-miles-left mark to tear into a bag of Combos and marvel at the idea that the distance from Springer Mountain to the Albert Mountain firetower in North Carolina is all that I have left of the AT. It's as much of a mind boggling concept as the fact that I managed to make it this far.
Date: 2016-09-17
From: Cloud Pond Lean To

To: Pleasant River Tent Site
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: few clouds

I dreamed last night of just walking up and down the aisles of a well-stocked grocery store. On the first and most difficult climb of the day I passed a winded couple with oversized packs. At the top I stop for a couple of biscuits from the bag I bought in Monson with PB&J smeared on. The couple I passed makes it up and the guy comments that he likes the PB&J-combined-in-one-jar concept. We start talking about trail food and he mentions that they packed way too much for their hike and asks if I would like anything. "Hey, I'll take anything you don't want to carry!" is my response.As they unloaded several thousand calories worth of food from their packs I realized that I couldn't have been happier if they had told me they'd had a life changing experience on their hike and wanted to give me all of their life savings. Now that's some trail magic.
Date: 2016-09-19
From: East Branch Lean To

To: Pemadumcook Lake
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: few clouds

Ok, now I've definitely seen Mt. Katahdin! The end is in sight! I spent the day hiking with PJ who is hiking from Harper's Ferry to Katahdin. We are camping together tonight on the shore of Pemadumcook lake and have a big driftwood bonfire going. Coming out to the shore of Pemadumcook lake earlier, Katahdin was clearly visible and looks absolutely massive rising up out of nowhere. I can't wait to get closer.
Date: 2016-09-20
From: Pemadumcook Lake

To: Rainbow Stream Lean To
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: few clouds

I walked mostly alone the past two today alternatingly excited about getting to Katahdin and stewing about Baxter State Park's thru hiker rules. I'm not quite sure where I'm going to stay once I actually get into the park the night before I do Katahdin but will probably try to get a spot in the fee-required and absurdly space-limited "Birches" thru hiker-only camping area.My front arch tent pole cracked badly tonight and is being held together by the emergency repair sleeve that came with it and a rubber band. I'm glad I held onto that sleeve the whole way! The boxed wine tetra-pak that I have been keeping my olive oil in for a week or two has decided to partially dissolve and olive oil has gotten onto just about everything in my pack. Today it leaked through three bags, into my food bag, through the dry bag's walls, and into my pack. Can anything contain olive oil? I'm trying to hold my gear together as best as I can with the end being so near.
Date: 2016-09-21
From: Rainbow Stream Lean To

To: Golden Road / Millinocket
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: clear sky

I walk alone and with PJ today, pausing to take in a great view of Katahdin from the Rainbow Ledges. PJ has decided to skip the approximately ten miles from the entrance of Baxter State Park to the bottom of Katahdin in order to summit tomorrow when the weather will be good. Some light rain is forecast for my summit on the 23rd. Despite only meeting him a few days ago PJ quickly became one of my best friends on the trail. I am disappointed not to summit with him but it is important to me to be finishing the whole trail on top of Big K (I don't want to have to go back and do that ten miles after summiting K). We reach Golden Road and I stick my thumb out for the first truck that drives by. It stops, PJ and I bump fists, and I climb in back for a dusty ride to a campground outside Millinocket. Today marks six months on the Appalachian Trail.
Date: 2016-09-22
From: Golden Road / Millinocket

To: Katahdin Stream
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Tonight is my last night on the Appalachian Trail. I've been flipping through my guidebook trying to find some perspective. Will my summit be as emotional as I've been expecting? All I feel right now is a low, buzzing excitement to get up to the top and to finish this grand thing.I got a ride from Purple Mist's Mom back to Golden Road this morning after getting some snacks for the climb and tonight's dinner in Millinocket. I met Purple Mist and her husband Optomist back in Vermont but hadn't seen them since the New Hampshire border. They have reserved a private campsite in Baxter for themselves and their hiking group and invite me to join. I happily accept and Mama Mist refuses my $7 for my share of the campsite.I knock out the last flat section of trail through Baxter SP, spending most of the hike talking with Owl. I last saw Owl in Hot Springs, NC where he took some uneaten food off of a not yet cleared diner table in a hiker trash move that I have respected ever since.
Date: 2016-09-23
From: Katahdin Stream

To: Baxter Peak, Mt. Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2

I got up early and dropped off all of my non-essential gear at the ranger station at Katahdin Stream, holding on to my camera, food bag, ibuprofen, clothes, and guidebook in my pack.The hike up Katahdin started out mild but quickly got above treeline and turned into tough rock climbing. Light rain blew through occasionally but the clouds were mostly higher allowing for some great views. Over an hour or so I picked my way up the mountain's rocky spine and up to the Tableland, where the trail levels off a mile and half from the summit. Beginning the final climb up to the summit, I passed Owl on his way down and we congratulated each other. Although my excitement grew as Baxter Peak came into view, I was sort of scared in the back of my head that I might get to the top and just feel nothing after all of this.The summit was smaller than I expected and was socked in by clouds. A handful of day hikers were up there but I was the only thru hiker. I paused to snap a picture of the last white blaze, dropped my pack, and then turned my focus to the summit sign. For more than a year I had dreamed of seeing this sign in person. I had seen it in thousands of pictures and read about it in trail journals and books. Now it was in front of me and I was instantly overwhelmed. I walked towards it, put a hand on it, and closed my eyes with an uncontrollable smile on my face as tears started to come. I stood there for a minute or two and then stepped away and sat down nearby, looking at the sign and crying for a few minutes more. Once I felt a little bit put together, I asked some of the hikers up top to take some pictures of me.I think that I mainly felt empty and accomplished coming back down Katahdin. The tears up top were purely joy and I guess I can't say that I was overly sad that the trail was over. Despite plenty of joys and accomplishments and diversions along the way, it was, simply put, a very hard six months of effort and sacrifice and focus. I guess knowing that I had plenty more adventures to come in the next day, the next week, and the next few months helped a lot. I still needed to get back to Millinocket to celebrate, I still needed to get to Bangor and the airport, I still needed to get to Florida to see my family, and I still needed to find a place to live and a job.
Date: 2016-09-30
To: Finishing Gear
Miles today: 0.0

My Gear With All Said And Done:Pack - Gregory Baltoro 65. Still fully functional aside from smelling pretty bad. Would use again or look at a lighter weight option such as ULA Circuit or Granite Gear Crown 60 (The pack I often saw on the trail and wished I had).Tent - MSR Nook with homemade heavy duty plastic groundtarp which I trimmed down a few times. Tent was non-functional by end of hike due to cracked poles, mildewed seam tape, and water intrusion. Replaced in full by MSR. Would use this set up again unless I could spring for one of the pricier Big Agnes tents.Bag - Mountain Hardwear ExtraLamina 20 Deg. Still fully functional aside from stubborn stank. Would use again or look into an Enlightened Equipment Down Quilt.Warm Weather Bag - Hand sewn flannel bag with Thermolite reactor liner. Eventually cut down to be just a flannel blanket used over the liner. Not an optimal system but it was cheap and it got me through. Pad - ThermARest ProLite Plus. Mostly functional. Doesn't really self inflate anymore. Would look into smaller pad- The extra long and extra wide style wasn't at all necessary and took up a lot of room in my pack.Boots - Oboz Scapegoats Low. EXCELLENT boots. In good shape after hiking some of toughest parts of the trail. My boot progression was Keen Mashall Mids to Merrell Capras (awful) to Oboz Scapegoats. I would absolutely buy these again although maybe with a high ankle. Oboz would be my first recommendation for thru hike boots. Stay away from Merrell.Stove - MSR Pocket Rocket. Still mostly functional. The self ignition became unreliable requiring a lighter occasionally.Water - Smart Water Bottle into Sawyer Squeeze into single 1L Camelbak Chute bottle. The filter lasted the whole trip but is probably ready to be replaced. Would use this whole set up again. I got rid of the MSR Sweetwater antiviral Perchlorate drops somewhere around Vermont when the water sources became mostly springs again. They came in handy a few times in the mid-Atlantic states but are probably not necessary if you are trying to go super lightweight. The Camelbak bottle needed a replacement cap holder assembly at the end of the trip which was provided by Camelbak after a quick phone call.Entertainment / Other - I got rid of the Baby Taylor guitar in Virginia, trading it out for my water-resistant Pentax K-50 DSLR which my parents brought up to me. It just got to be annoying to worry about keeping the guitar dry and not-stolen but I truly valued having it for hostel jams and fire-side practice. Aside from the weight, I really loved having the DSLR but wished I had a backpack strap mount for it (See the Peak Design Capture Camera Clip) so that it would be more quickly available for quick wildlife encounters. For the camera I used a battery adapter which took four AA batteries. Smurf and Turtle gave me a small Anker phone charger in July for my birthday which I carried for the rest of the trail. It really came in handy especially because my iPhone 5C would very quickly lose charge in cooler weather. I ended up filling three small notebooks with daily journal entries.
Date: 2016-10-30
To: One Month After
Miles today: 0.0

It is October 30th. I am in Pennsylvania's Delaware Water Gap with my girlfriend, Jess, and I am walking on the AT for the first time since coming down Katahdin on the 23rd of September. Side by side, we walk out across the Delaware River bridge to the New Jersey border and then slowly back up to the trailhead parking area. It is an exhilarating experience, bringing a lot of trail memories back into focus, especially when we pass some long distance hikers heading south.I am currently living in Philadelphia. Smurf and Turtle offered me a room to rent in their house and I gladly accepted, driving up after taking a few weeks to recover in Florida. I am currently looking for a new job in the area. Shortly after getting off the trail, Turtle was diagnosed with Lyme disease but was treated successfully. I am sure that had this not been the case, her and Smurf would have been able to do the whole trail.One of my big sources of stress on the trail was the feeling that I was taking too many zero days, that I wasn't going to finish the trail in a reasonable amount of time, and that I was spending too much money. All in all, I my journey was the perfect length. I hiked hard but took the time to enjoy and experience towns that I may never spend time in again. I took time to enjoy the company of other hikers but hiked my own hike. I had plenty of re-entry money left over. It all worked out.Most days, I stop and suddenly miss the AT at least once but I have found a lot of the hikers I met on the trail on Facebook. It is a good community to keep in touch with. Each day or two I spend some time editing pictures and trail journal entries, which lets me reminisce a little and work through the post-trail blues. I can't wait for spring to come to do some weekend backpacking trips.