morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-08-02
From: USFS Osgood Tentsite

To: Rattle River Shelter
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Wow, what another slobberknocker of a day. I knew that today was going to be tough, but the heat and humidity really did a number on me. It was a day of many ascents and descents again. It was a somewhat easy hike to Pinkham Notch, but after that it was all uphill. It all started out with a climb up to Wildcat which was a steep 2000' climb. Wildcat has 5 peaks across it all above 4000' and culminating at Peak A(4380'), for some reason they are all lettered A through E. Peak E is where the enclosed chairlift runs up to and it was in service dropping off people not willing to make the climb up. After A it was a sharp drop down to Carter Notch and then another climb up to Carter Dome(4832'). Thats when the heat really began to take its toll. I was able to replenish my water supply at a nice spring half way up. From the top of the Dome it was down a bit then up to Mt. Height(4675') which offered nice views of the Presidential Range south and the mountains of Maine to the north. From Height it was down then up to South Carter(4458'), then Middle Carter(4600'), then finally North Carter(4530'). I was done there, though I went down towards Imp Shelter and then one last time climbed up to Mt. Moriah(3950'). I was in a stupor on the way down to the shelter. I think I was beginning to feel the effects of dehydration on the body. But it wasn't too long before I found some water and quenched my thirst. Then I took a cool swim in the Rattle River which seemed to help regain my senses and refreshed my aching body. Tommorrow I will head into Gorham, NH for some groceries and then I'll hit the trail again. Depending on when I get in and out of town I might be able to reach the Maine border tommorrow. That would be especially nice. Anyway I'll be headed into the Mahoosuc Range which I have done before about three years ago. I look forward to doing it again. It is very rugged but also beautiful.   Well I have 299.8 miles left to hike before I reach Katahdin. I know it will go by fast. I would like to say I'll slow down and enjoy it, but I probably will try and maintain around a 20 mile average. I have done a little more than half of the AT in Maine and I look forward to seeing how I handle it now that I am a professional hiker. Hopefully my shoes can last these last 300 miles. One of them seems to be falling apart. I guess I'm not surprised since they have over 1400 miles on them. Well I need some good sleep so I can hit town early and get some breakfast and groceries. Maine, I'm coming home baby.
Date: 2007-08-03
From: Rattle River Shelter

To: Carlo Col Shelter. ME
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: clear sky

I have made it! I have finally reached Maine, oh how glorious it is to be home. Only 280.9 beautifully rugged miles to go. It was certainly not an easy hike today with the temperatures soaring as well as the humidity.   I was able to get into Gorham with relative ease today. I did my stuff and was walking through town when this minivan pulled up. There was this older couple inside and they wondered if I needed a lift anywhere. I knew that this was a golden opportunity to get back to the trail but I wanted to check out the shoe selection in the outfitters. They offered to bring me there and then to the trail. I couldn't believe my luck. I struck out on the shoes because all that seemed to be around were Merrels. I don't really want to get into a shoe discussion, but lets just say their customer service is very, very poor and I think my Garmonts that have gone 1400+ miles have a better shot of making it the rest of the way than a new pair of Merrels do. When I got back to the trail it was steaming hot. I wish I could say that the miles were easy and the water was plentiful but it was quite the contrary. This is a rugged section of trail and it just goes up and down all the time. I have hiked the Mahoosuc Range before with Steve and we got our butts kicked. It took us a lot longer than it will take me to do them now but it is going to be rough. Mt. Hayes, Cascade Mtn, and Wocket Ledge all had a climb to them and I eventually made it to Gentian Pond Shelter. I seriously contemplated ending it there but then I kept thinking how close I was to the border. Only 5.3 more I said. I eventually psyched myself into doing it. It wasn't an easy hike though. I started to remeber this part of the trail immediately. There was a steep climb up right away, then it went down. Then it went up, then down. Finally I began the ascent up Mt. Success(3565') which was steep of course. I labored up the climb with my steady methodical pace as salty sweat dripped from my pathetic excuse for a mustache into my mouth, I really hate it when that happens. The top of Success is very beautiful and was worth the climb. From there it was about 2 miles to the border but it undulated a lot before I got there. It was a grand moment if I say so myself. I was greeted with the Welcome to Maine the way life should be. It looked like some hikers had tried to scratch some of it off the sign. Apparently they don't agree with that statement in terms of hiking.   So here I lay in Maine finally as happy as a clam but really tired. I hope my body has time to recoup beacue tommorrow won't be any easier. Not only will I be tackling some more heavy climbing but I'll also be hiking the "toughest mile on the AT", the Mahoosuc Notch. It is basically a notch between two mountains filled with enormous boulders. It should be a fun time. I know that it was the first time I did it when it was filled with snow. It should be quite different tommorrow. Well I need sleepy, goodnight. P.S. I saw my first Moose today, yeah.
Date: 2007-08-05
From: Frye Notch Lean-to

To: Bemis Mountain Lean-to
Miles today: 23.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Great day today. The weather was perfect and beautiful for hiking and I finally caught up with the Green Hornet whom I started with on March 27th. I hadn't seen him since the end of the Smokey Mountains which was about 1700 miles and 3 months ago. It was a good reunion with lots to talk about. We both have aspirations of finishing around the same time so we may be doing a bit of traveling together. It is so nice to see a familiar face again. I have met many cool people along the way but I always hoped that I would catch up with the Hornet before the end just to hike with him again even if it is for a few days. I will do my best to hang with him and hopefully we can summit the great mountain together. In other news the hiking was very good and strenuous at times. From Frye Notch it was a quick climb up to Surplus Mtn then down to the road to Andover. Then it was a very easy climb up to Wyman Mtn then over the Hall Mtn lean-to. The trail was mostly ungroomed through that section which gave it a particularly wild feel. From the shelter it was down all the way to Sawyer Notch and then it got a little tough. It was a good hard climb up Moody Mtn. I can see where it gets its name for I feel it has changed quite a few moods after climbing it. Then it was right back down again to a road. From there it was a 2200' climb up Old Blue(3600'). Visibility was the best it's been in a while and I could see for miles in all directions. It was down again and then back up to Bemis Mtn(3592'). The trail was really cool around this area with mosses of all shades of green. The shelter is fairly new here and there is water that is good. The book says its seasonal. Tommorrow I'll have to hit up Rangeley for a few supplies. I have eaten through most of my food already and its only been 3 days, sheesh. The next day I will hopefully stay at the summit house on Sugarloaf. I guess they allow hikers to stay there. Hopefully they still do. Then the next day I will take a short day to Stratton where I'll meet my mom, Barbara, and my sister Brooke. It has been just over 4 months since I have seen them so it's going to be great to see them again. Hopefully I can get in contact with Tapioca so he can hike with me for a few days. That would be just awesome. Yes, things are certainly getting better and better for me. Just when I thought they couldn't get any better. Life is good.
Date: 2007-08-06
From: Bemis Mountain Lean-to

To: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: light rain

You never can tell what's going to happen on the trail. Sometimes the weather is in control or weighs heavily on your decisions over the course of a day. That's what happened to me today. I planned on doing about 18 miles and going to Rangeley along the way, but it just didn't happen as I planned. The day started out beautifully. It was cool even cold this morning but nice and sunny. The trail went across the last bit of the Bemis Range and offered stunning views of lakes and hills. Then I looked to the west and saw some clouds and really thought nothing of it. I continued along my merry way down the mountain and about an hour later the clouds moved in and suddenly it was overcast. I had a weird feeling about things at that point but I continued anyways. Then I got up onto ME17 which had a nice view of the west and I saw dark clouds moving in. Crikey, I better get moving. So I started moving faster. I only had about 3 more miles before the shelter and thought I could make it there before it rained, eat and then get wet. Along the way I heard the sound of Maine that I have been waiting for. The call of the Loon. It was a welcome sound which was uplifting. I passed Long Pond which had a nice beach if one were so inclined to take a swim, but it wasn't really swimming weather at the time. I made it to the shelter just before it rained. I ate lunch with the full intentions of going back out. Then it rained harder. Green Hornet and Grasshopper showed up not too much later completely soaked. Then it was a complete downpour and then some thunder and lightning. I wasn't going to leave a semi dry lean-to for a rain soaked, cold journey to a road for a possible hitch to town and then out. If it was warmer and I was just going to another shelter, then I would have gone, but I didn't want to deal with a cold heavy rain. Plus counting on someone picking up a wet hiker didn't seem all that good either. So I took a nice long nap. It was fantastic. Sometime during my siesta the rain let up but only for awhile and it started again. The rain finally let up for good around 4:00 which was much to late to succesfully complete my mission without trying to get a ride out of town in the dark. I had a nice afternoon just the same talking with Grasshopper and Hornet. However, this will complicate my hiking for tommorrow and the next day because I'm meeting my mom on wednesday and I would prefer to be there kind of early. Another little complication is the terrain. We're talking about going over Saddleback, Spaulding, Sugarloaf, and the Crockers. Yikes, looks like I'm going to be getting my butt kicked for the next couple days. Oh, and after that there's the Bigelow Range. Hopefully, the weather will be a little better than today so maybe I can enjoy these beasts, but I'm not counting on it. Rain or shine I must move on. Oh, Jamie and Cathy I got your note of encouragement here. Thanks a bunch!
Date: 2007-08-07
From: Sabbath Day Pond Lean-to

To: Spaulding Mountain Lean-to
Miles today: 0.0

Wow, big miles today. I didn't think that I went that far. It was certainly an eventful day though. I woke up real early and hit the trail by 6:30. There was a nice glow from the sun on the pond. The walk to ME4 wasn't all that steep or anything but it was a little more difficult with everything so wet and muddy. I still managed to get the 9.5 to the road done in good time. Along the way I spooked a moose. I didn't see him but I heard him lumbering down the trail and followed his tracks for a while. I stopped at Little Swift river campsite for a bit. It is by a pond and has canoes and seemed like a nice spot. I got an easy hitch to the supermarket from a canoe guide/hunting guide. He was very nice and talked about his canoe trips on the Allagash and the thru hikers he has met recently. I bought way to much food considering I'll be in a town again tommorrow but I put a pretty sizeable dent in it today so it was good. It took me a little longer to get a ride back but not to bad. This time I got a ride from a tree service guy. He was real nice. He used to work for the AMC and we talked about the trail for a while. Hitching a ride can always make for an interesting time. Especially in a tourist haven like Rangeley. You just pray that a local or someone who knows about the trail drives by. Most of the tourists just look at you like you have two heads and speed by. Once I hit the trail I took a good fall not long after starting. I bashed my knee on a rock and scraped my ankle pretty good but it was nothing serious. The climb up Saddleback(4120') was kind of long. Just when I thought I could see the top I would crest the mound and there was another hump still left. The views were great from the peak. It was a little too cloudy and hazy to see Katahdin, but I could visualize it out there in the distance. After chilling out on top I ventured over to the Horn(4041') and then Saddleback Junior(3655'). On the way to Junior I saw a moose that was not that far away but was concealed by some trees so a picture wasn't really available. He just stared at me for a while and then we went our seperate ways. Then it was a nice ramble down to a shelter and down some more to Orbeton Stream. It had swelled from the rain and there was no way to rock hop so I just crossed shoes on and all. They needed a good washing anyways. From there it was a good climb up Lone Mtn(3280') and then a nice easy walk to the shelter for the night. I got here around 8:00 so it didn't make sense to go 3 more miles to Sugarloaf. They allow hikers to stay in the summit house. I planned on staying there a couple days ago but yesterday changed things. Tommorrow will be a short but strenuous hike over Spaulding, Sugarloaf, and the Crocker Cirque. Hopefully I can find a cheap place to stay in Stratton with my mom and my sister. There has been a lot of tourists around so it may be packed. I don't know what we will do then. We shall see I guess. Well, it's sack time.
Date: 2007-08-08
From: Spaulding Mountain Lean-to

To: Stratton (White Wolf Inn)
Miles today: 13.5

Today was a definite test of mental and physical toughness for me. I woke up early around 5:30 because I was anxious to get started and meet my mom(Barbara) and sister(Brooke) at ME 27. Twofer and I were both getting ready to go when it started to rain. "Shoot", I had two good climbs and I hadn't even gotten started yet. By the time I got started it was raining heavily. I climbed the rest of the way up Spaulding Mtn(3990') and went up the side trail to the top. Of course there was no view but I just wanted to go to the top since I was right there. Then it was off to Sugarloaf. The trail doesn't go to the top but there is a side trail a half a mile up to thetop(4237') and the summit house. I figured I could go up to the summit house and warm up and eat a snack or make tea and make some phone calls to ensure that everything was still a go. It had realy gotten bad when I got to the top. I couldn't see much and the wind was crazy. I couldn't see the summit house so I walked up by the top and went behind a building with a tower by it. It shielded me from the rain and wind and I was able to eat a couple snacks. I called Jenn to make sure my mom was still coming and she was of course. I got moving again. It was really bad by this time. Then I heard thunder and saw some lightning. What? Thunderstorm at 8:00 in the morning? What the heck is going on. Of course the trail popped out on an exposed ridge about this time. It was a wet an precarious climb down but I went down as quick as posible. Then I crossed the South Carabasset River across a board across some rocks. Then I stopped at a road in a downpour and waited to see if it was going to thunder some more. I didn't want to go back up in a thunderstorm. I heard nothing and decided to go back up. It was a good climb up to South Crocker Mtn(4010') and then over to North Crocker Mtn(4228'). It was still windy but the rain seemed to let up some. I actually saw some blue sky on the way down. I was tired, soaked and ready for some rest and food. It was a fairly good hike down. When I popped out of the trail into the parking lot I raised my hands in triumph because my mom and Brooke were waiting. It was a good reunion after about 4 months away.   Afterwards we went to Stratton and eventually after a few delays got a room at the White Wolf Inn. It is adequate enough and it felt good to get a shower, do laundry, and eat. The afternoon turned out to be pretty nice. The sun was shining and I was able to dry everything out. So after a rough morning it turned out to be alright. It looks as if the rest of the week is going to be beautiful. Tommorrow it looks like I will be crossing the 2,000 mile mark. Wow, I can't believe it. Not long before the big day. I better enjoy this last week and a half because it won't be long before I'm finished. It feels weird saying that. I'm sure it will feel even weirder when it happens.
Date: 2007-08-10
From: Little Bigelow Lean-To

To: Pierce Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Nice and easy day today and I really mean easy. The terrain was about the easiest it has been since coming into Maine by a long shot. There were no significant climbs at all and it was just another beautiful day out. The only part that made anything difficult was watching my foot placement around rocks and roots. I passed multiple ponds and lakes today all offering swimming opportunities. First, I passed Flagstaff Lake. Then West Carry Pond and then East Carry Pond. The trail passed a nice beach at East Carry that was so nice. Shortly after that I passed a hawk nest or something. I heard some commotion from the birds and then one of them buzzed by my head. I'm sure it wasn't as close as I thought but it made me dash ahead a little bit. A few miles after that I came to a swamp with some precarious bog bridges. A woman was standing o one telling me to be quiet. She said there were Moose chilling out over yonder. I moved up the trail a bit to get a better vantage point. I saw two Moose feasting in the bog. Then I could see two more behind them in the trees. I don't think I have ever seen four Moose in one spot before. It was quite cool. I hung out and watched them for a good while. They are really interesting animals to watch. From there it was a nice jaunt to Pierce Pond. This has got to be one of the premier spots to camp on the trail. The shelter sits facing the pond which is just awesome swimming. There is also a cool waterfall not to far away. I definitely will be back here again. It looks like there is good fishing here as well. I got here early so I put myself to work when I got here. I fixed up the fire pit which was basically a pile of rocks. I made a nice ring, evened out the dirt and the collected enough wood for a nice fire. Then I rewarded myself with a satisfying dip in the pond, aahh. Around six Twofer showed up. I have seen him around for the last four days. He is a nice fellow and I enjoy his company. We had this fine place all to ourselves tonight. Still no sign of the Hornet or Grasshopper. It seems that the one big day I did and the heinous storm have seperated us. It happens I guess. I doubt they are far behind but there isn't much trail left for them to catch up. The sunset was nice and now the Loons are crooning out on the water. Man what a day. It will be tough to top this one Maine. Tommorrow I cross the Kennebec River and will have a few moderate climbs it looks like. Hopefully this fine weather will hold. It has certainly been a blessing of late.
Date: 2007-08-11
From: Pierce Pond Lean-to

To: Moxie Bald Lean-to
Miles today: 22.8
Weather: scattered clouds

This afternoon I stood on top of Moxie Bald looking at Katahdin a mear 130 miles or so away. It was a stunning view from the top. I can't believe I am so close to it. It has been pulling me towards it for months this greatest mountain and now I am so close. It is hard not to think about the end when you can see it. I generally have been trying to live the journey and not think about the destination but it's hard sometimes. I am looking forward to doing some of the things I haven't done in a while like fishing and mountain biking, but I will surely miss the trail. It has been so fun living in the woods. It is just so peaceful. There are no angry and ignorant people out here. If your out here your generally doing something you love. It is nice to be around people who enjoy the same thing you do.   Last night in the lean-to the mice were particularly active. They seemed to have figured out how to get to the food bags despite the strings with cans that tend to keep them at bay. I woke up to the sound of Twofer beating one senseless with his shoe after it got on his bag. Not too much later I heard one on my bag so I grabbed my croc and gave it a good whack. I wasn't sure if I got him or not. Sometime around morning the noseeums came out in squadrons. I tried to hide but it was no use. I finally had to grab the Deet to keep them at bay. I woke up a short time later and actually had trouble opening my left eye all the way because my eyebrow was swollen from numerous bites. I looked out and saw the mouse who dared to eat my food a good ten feet out stiff as a board. Yeah I got em. The hiking today was fantastic. There were some moderate ups and downs but it was easy. I reached the Kennebec River just before nine and then got a ride from the ferry man. I believe his name is Steve and he has been doing this since 1987. He was a funny guy and made a few cracks about a water vessel down stream and how it was burning up fossil fuels. He was particularly proud of being a manpowered waterman. Yeah it was a good day on the trail. The lean-to I'm at is on a pond again, god I love Maine, and there are some campers who canoed across the lake to spend the night. They supplied me with some s'mores to eat. Then I met a guy who owns one of the three camps on the pond. He can only reach it by boat or by hiking. Now that is cool.Tommorrow I will go to Monson. It will be my last trail town that I go to. I plan on spending the night there and enjoying it. I possibly will be receiving more trail magic from my mom again. She is concerned about my weight I think. Well it's time to turn in. I hope to get to Monson as soon as I can if possible.