morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-08-20
From: Full Goose Shelter (ME)

To: Baldplate Lean-To
Miles today: 12.0

12.00 miles hiked, Mile Marker 1921.0I hit the trail at 5:40am. I wanted to get through the Mahoosuc Notch early. When I got to the Notch, I put my poles away and started climbing my way through per Tom Turtle's advice. The Notch is like a large ravine with steep sides. Both sides sent down very large boulders and slabs of rock into this ravine. You have to climb over and under these very large stones to get through the Notch. I enjoyed working my way through, a few times almost on my belly, the hole was so low and small. There were areas that had more than one way through - sometimes not. One spot, you had to reach over a six foot drop, to a rock face. I couldn't get my fingers on enough rock for a hold, and was glad there was another way through. I think I may have fallen on that one. You just had to take your time and have fun with it. Had a few tough climbs today also. I thought I would never find the top of the Mahoosuc Arm. That was a tough climb. I'm glad I had beautiful weather for all of it. I wouldn't advise doing the Mahoosuc Notch in the rain - too dangerous. I stopped for lunch at Speck Pond Shelter. The trail was busy today with NoBos, a few SoBos, section hikers and day hikers. After I crossed ME26 at Grafton Notch, the climb and trail to Baldpate Lean-To were easy. I hope to get more of that. Nineteen was tenting at the shelter when I arrived. Soon, Hawksbill showed up, followed by Turtle. We all cooked dinner at the shelter and talked a bit before retiring. To be continued from "Tales From The Hammock". -Hoyt
Date: 2014-08-21
From: Baldplate Lean-To

To: Andover, ME - The Cabin
Miles today: 8.0

8.0 miles hiked, Mile Marker 1929.0I was hiking by 6:15am. Another beautiful day. I had a couple of climbs early, one being a large bald, great views. Along the way, a Spruce grouse was in the trail and flew up on a branch very near to me. I got a great picture of it three feet away. It wasn't afraid of me at all. My mail drop is in Rangeley, but I don't have enough food to get me there. My batteries in my headlamp died this morning and my stove fuel has about one more burn. I was going to thumb into Andover to resupply and head back to the trail, but I met a young couple going south and stopped to talk. They said The Cabin was a good place to stop with great food and a shuttle. I decided to take a day there, get resupplied, a shower, wash my clothes and eat some real food. When I got to East B Hill Road, Don picked me up. I'm staying in an old pick-up camper that sits on the ground with the price right at $15. Dinner is $10 and breakfast $5. I met a nice older guy named Dan whose wife is hiking - he drives the RV van. There are several other hikers here that I know as well. Slowsky is here to, slack packing a section. Tomorrow we are going to hike together for awhile. Well, dinner was very good and I am full! The owners of The Cabin, Earl (Bear) and Grace (Honey) are a great older couple who have been helping hikers for at least 20 years. I am looking forward to breakfast in the morning. It seems that I am always thinking about my next meal. I need to average ~12 miles a day if I wish to make it this season to Katahdin and finish on time. Goodnight, ending "Tales from the Cabin (Camper)". -Hoyt
Date: 2014-08-22
From: Andover, ME - The Cabin

To: Bemis Mtn Lean-To
Miles today: 18.8

18.8 miles hiked, Mile Marker 1947.8I had a great breakfast at the Cabin and ate too much. Honey and Bear gave me two pancakes and a brownie for the trail. Slowsky got a call from home and said he wouldn't be able to hike with me. He did give me a ride to the trailhead and wished me well at 8:10am. I had a lot of miles to do today in hard terrain. Today was like a fall day; cloudy and cool. I was pushing hard to get to the lean-to (that's what shelters are called in Maine) before it got too late. I was also hoping the rain would hold off until I got there. I had to climb several mountains today. Wyman Mountain, Moody Mountain, Old Blue Mountain (which I renamed, Old S.O.B.) and Bemis Mountain. I felt energized after all that good food I ate at the Cabin. I had about 3 miles to go when a light rain began to fall. It wasn't long after putting on my rain gear that the rain stopped. It rained just enough to make the ever present tree roots as slippery as wet eels. I was glad it stopped raining, but now I had to really slow down as everything was slippery. When I arrived at the lean-to, two hikers were already there; it was 6:50pm. After filling my water bags and talking to the other hikers, I went to set up my hammock. One 6-inch diameter tree I wanted to use was dead. I gave it a good push and it seemed OK. After setting up the hammock I always sit in it first to make certain it's solid. As I sat, I heard a cracking sound as the dead tree began to fall. I was trying to get out of the hammock but as the tree fell, the hammock collapsed. I couldn't get out of the way and was waiting to get beamed. That's when the tree hit another tree and lodged there. I thought "Really!" Why doesn't a moose just come out and trample me to death and put me out of my misery. That was really a close one! It got dark as I was making my dinner when a mouse came by to check me out. And yes, I'm going to pay him my rent. Talking with others, I found out that I'm not the only one that's been ready to return home. I was glad to know that there are others whining. The Whites were brutal for me, but ME is challenging in its own ways. I hope the Hundred Mile Wilderness has a better trail to end with. It's been mostly mud, rock and tree roots for weeks. Goodnight from "Tales From The Secure Hammock". -Hoyt
Date: 2014-08-23
From: Bemis Mtn Lean-To

To: Rangeley, ME
Miles today: 4.5

4.5 miles hiked, Mile Marker 1952.3I was up at five and had my usual: hot Earl Grey tea, a Cliff bar and Poptarts, - the breakfast of champions! I left plenty of crumbs for the mouse in order to pay my rent. I hiked to ME17 and thumbed into Rangeley for my mail drop. A nice 83 year old named Bob picked me up. He said he had always lived in Maine. It was about ten miles into town and I enjoyed talking with him. He dropped me where he said the Post Office should be. After thanking Bob, I went into the building. The owner of the store said it was the Post Office about fifty years ago! I got a kick out of Bob. I finally found the PO down the street and found that my mail drop hadn't arrived. I requested that my drop be forwarded to my next stop in Stratton and then went grocery shopping. I bought a little too much and my pack was too heavy. Walking everywhere, the day got late, so I decided to stay overnight here in town. Rangeley is a nice touristy town. I had my first lobster roll, tasty. I saw some NoBos I knew in town too. It was good to get another hot shower at the motel. I ordered some pizza and washed my clothes. The weather here is wonderful - sounds like much better than the extreme heat back home in St. Louis. The sunset behind the mountains was beautiful this evening. I walked to a BBQ joint nearby and sampled a local brew called Allagash during dinner. While there, I REALLY enjoyed listening to the soft rock background music. I don't hear music on the trail and have missed it tremendously. The youngsters have there earbuds in; maybe that's the best way to keep one's sanity through this terrain! When you're high in the mountains you don't hear anything but the wind and maybe a little red squirrel chirping at you. I wish I could have stopped at more places along the trail as they all have added flavor to my trek. I am looking forward though, to clicking my heels together on Mt Katahdin's summit and going home. "Tales From Rangeley, ME". -Hoyt
Date: 2014-08-24
From: Rangeley, ME

To: Piazza Rock Lean-To
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

15.0 miles hiked, Mile Marker 1967.3I got up at 5:00 am hoping to get an early start, but I was delayed by the very thick fog. When the motel office opened, I had a bagel and coffee while talking to Paula, the clerk. I left about 8:00am and started thumbing. As another car passed, I turned to continue walking, when I saw the big black Mercedes van that Dan drives. I met Dan back at The Cabin. He's retired and drives the R.V. while his wife hikes. I waved to him and he stopped. He offered a ride back to the trail. What a relief! I'm not to good at thumbing. After thanking Dan, I was hiking by 8:40am. I saw several hikers today, one of which I hadn't seen since the south. She said that she left for a flip flop at about mid-point, going to Katahdin to southbound. Her husband came up and summited with her, but now she was very blue. We talked in the trail about 30 minutes and the whole time she was wiping tears away. She really missed her husband and she was beat up by the trail like all of us. She was thinking about going home. I told her if she was that sad, then she should. She was going into town for a few zeros and think about it. I hadn't seen her for a long time but she was happy then. I wished her well. The trail is challenging on all counts. I also met a 70 year old who did the trail 2 years ago and was doing it again. Amazing! At 2:30pm I saw a moose across a lake standing at the edge. As I neared ME4 Hwy, I saw Dan's R.V. While we were talking a car pulled into the parking lot. The guy asked "do you need a ride into town?" I told him I wish I did. When I got to the lean-to, Joe the German was there as well as several others. One of which was Ghost, who I hadn't seen in sometime. We talked awhile and he said he'd had contracted Lyme's disease, sought treatment and was fine now. I've seen a few leaves turning red here already. Fall will be here soon. Another end to "Tales From The Hammock". -Hoyt
Date: 2014-08-25
From: Piazza RockLean-To

To: Woods Road
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: few clouds

11.7 miles hiked, Mile Marker 1979.0Now showing: "Maine" starring, Mud, Rocks, and Tree Roots. Besides that, it was another beautiful day; perfect for climbing mountains. Today I was hiking by 7:00am. First up was Saddleback Mountain, then the Horn, followed by Saddleback Junior. Saddleback was a big climb, but once on top it was pretty much a bald with great views. The trail went from one to the other, staying pretty much above tree line, so I mostly had great views for quite awhile. I stopped on top of Saddleback Junior to have lunch and had a 360' view of mountains. As I descended the Horn and went below tree line, two moose ran by that were in the thick conifers near the trail. I only saw them briefly. How they run through those tightly spaced conifers I'll never know. There were a number of people hiking today. One was a section hiker named Bruce that I talked with a bit. Nice guy. I hiked 2.8 miles past Poplar Ridge Lean-to and camped off a forest road near a clear stream. I camped about 4:30pm:, it felt so good to stop early and have a nice evening. Before long, Freeman came along and camped with me. He said he used to be a welder in the shipyards. When the wars began he wouldn't build ships for war and quit. So most of the time, he's off the grid and on the trail. He said since 2003 he's never filtered his water and only got sick at the start. I will continue to filter mine though. It feels good to be so close to finishing. It also will allow me to take a few shorter days if I choose to do so. I hear the Hundred Mile Wilderness is a special place to be enjoyed. I hope to enjoy it, but I'm told it's somewhat flat, so I hope to do twenty mile days there. Soon, I'll be at the 2000 mile mark. I'm looking forward to that. Yesterday I didn't climb any mountains, just hills, like speed bumps in the forest. On the medical front, sometime back on the trail, I had a blister that became a callous and finally to a large, painful corn. It's on little Pete on my left foot. I recently decided to use the corn remover pads on it. I think it's more painful now than before. I may have to amputate little Pete before it's over. Good night from "Tales From The Hammock". -Hoyt
Date: 2014-08-26
From: Woods Road

To:  South Branch Carrabassett River - Campsite
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: broken clouds

10.3 miles hiked, Mile Marker 1989.3I left camp at 6:30am. I had several mtns to climb today. A stunning day for hiking, just beautiful. There were a number of hikers out, including several flip- floppers. As I neared my destination, I had a steep, hard descent. I had recently filled up my 64oz bag from a spring, and had that extra weight pushing me forward. I was glad to get through that one. I camped up the bank from the river at a campsite. The river is fast flowing and crystal clear, with large boulders everywhere. As I got set up, Worldly came by and we talked awhile. He's a good guy. Later, Freeman stopped to eat his lunch and Hawksbill stopped to camp, too. Then, a guy going south to Virginia named Lockness decided to tent also. Hawksbill went to bed pretty early, so Lockness and I started talking. He had just turned 28, joined the Marines at 20, and did a tour of Iraq and Afghanistan. He was a really nice guy and great to talk with. We talked for several hours into the evening. He had some funny stories about his time in the Marines. I enjoyed the evening! So ends yet another day on the trail. The end is in site. "Tales From The Hammock". -Hoyt
Date: 2014-08-27
From:  South Branch Carrabassett River - Campsite

To: Stratton, ME
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: clear sky

8.4 miles hiked, Mile Marker 1997.7Hiking by 6:00am. I knew I had some mountains to climb in the 8.4 miles to Hwy 27, but I was hoping the trail wouldn't be too bad. The first climb up South Crocker Mountain was vertical and rocky. Then a dip down from the top, and up North Crocker. All of this was made up of rocks and tree roots with steep descents. Most of the trail was ornery. I wanted to get to town, but there was no sense in trying to hurry as it was too difficult. It was cloudy, but turned into another beautiful day. I came upon a 20-something SoBo. She said if she and her friend, who was a little behind her, average 22 miles a day, they could finish by Thanksgiving. This girl was strong-looking and pushing hard. Her friend, who I saw about 10 minutes later, was shorter and far behind her friend. I wished them well. They have alot of hard terrain to cover. When I reached the Hwy and started thumbing, two cars passed, when I saw Freeman being dropped off. I was yelling across the road to him when a truck with a very nice older local couple stopped to give me a ride into town. Nice people. I got a room at the Stratton Motel and cleaned up. I then went to the laundromat; that's where I saw Mercedes van Dan. We talked while doing laundry. Today I also saw Plantman who gave me a soda way back at Bear Mountain in NY. He's here finishing up his last section. I FINALLY received my mail drop. Rangeley forwarded it on Friday to another hiker in Andover. Pearl was beside herself and I was out of food. The kind staff at Andover forwarded it to me for arrival in Stratton - 4 days late, but better than not at all. I was able to make some calls back home as well. There are quite a few hikers in this small town. I had two pints of ice cream and a big dinner with dessert today. I really don't know where I put it. I have a lot of weight to put back on. Goodnight! "Tales From The Stratton Motel" -Hoyt
Date: 2014-08-28
From: Stratton, ME

To: Little Bigelow Lean-to
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: few clouds

15.3 miles hiked, Mile Marker 2013.0 (Surpassed 2000 mile marker)I left the motel early, thumbed a ride and was hiking by 7:10am. The rain didn't happen last night when the Canadian cool front came through, so the woods were dry. The first three miles or so, weren't too bad. The rocks and roots were far enough apart that I could step between them. I try not to step on roots or rocks as they fatigue my feet. I saw one SoBo, about a 28 year old, with a backpack the size of a VW. I also saw some other hikers, including Dan's wife. She's 70 years old and petite, but a good hiker. She's slackpacking with Warren Doyle. He's supposed to have done the trail many times, but today he was far behind Sally. Today I climbed the South Horn, dropped down a bit and then Bigelow Mountain west peak, followed by Avery Peak and then Little Bigelow Mountain. Most of the terrain today was pretty rough. My feet and knees really took a beating. Either knee, if I were to trip, cannot support my weight with my pack. If my knee bends too far, the top of my knee hurts and gives out. My trekking poles have saved me from going down with a knee several times. As the day grew whiskers, I didn't see anymore hikers, I hiked alone for hours. After descending the last mountain, I had about five miles to the lean-to. Now I had mile after mile of mini mountains to traverse, one after another. The trail stayed ugly until just before the lean-to area. At the camp was Freeman; later Worldly showed up. We talked while we ate our dinner. By the way, I think little Pete will be spared the amputation, he's doing much better. I forgot to mention the carved wooden bear hiker figures outside of the hotel in Stratton ME. The Dad was about 5'9", the Mom and child shorter. They all had boots, backpacks, belts etc. carved onto them, and all were nicely painted. They were quite the sight. I also reached another milestone today: the 2000 mile mark. So ends another "Tales From The Hammock." -Hoyt
Date: 2014-08-29
From: Little Bigelow Lean-To

To: Pierce Pond Lean-To
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: scattered clouds

17.7 miles hiked, Mile Marker 2030.7Today I was ready by 6:20am. Last night I thought I heard something in my pack twice. I keep my pack in my chair right next to my hammock during the night. I used to hang my food, but bears haven't been a problem for so long, I now just keep it in my pack. A lot of hikers keep food in their tents. So this morning, as I was eating by headlamp, I noticed a hole chewed in my almond bag. I guess the mouse took his rent! I keep my food in a mouse proof bag, but I didn't have it closed. I learned my lesson. I left Freeman and Worldly sleeping and hit the trail. A lot of the trail today was great. Mostly flat or gently rolling hills. I did get some ugly mud, rocks and tree roots throughout the day, but all that good trail helped. I was lower today, so the forest of Hemlocks and other trees was very open; I liked that. The day was beautiful again, blue skies, cool temps, low humidity and gentle breezes. The Lean-to was on a clear lake, so that's the water supply. I don't drink lake water, so I walked a little ways back on the trail to get water from a stream. I was up the stream about thirty feet, filling my bag from a small waterfall, when I heard someone coming down the trail. It was Larry Boy, a young hiker. I yelled to him as he stepped to cross the stream to tell him to get water here. I scared the bejesus out of him! I couldn't help but laugh; he didn't. I saw two SoBos today, and a few other hikers. Plant Man, Hawksbill, and Larry Boy are at the lean-to tonight. Worldly should be coming soon. Tomorrow, when I get to the Kennebec River, I will get shuttled across in a canoe. There is a dam upriver and when they do a release, the water can rise rapidly. A woman drowned in 1985 trying to cross after a release. Her husband made it; she was ~60 years old. The shuttle times for July 11th ~ September 30th are 9am-11am and 4pm-7pm. It's 3.6 miles from the Lean-to so I'll be there in plenty of time. There's a pretty good group here tonight. The guys are Hawksbill, Plant Man, Larry Boy, Worldly, Captain Rico and one gal, Brave Heart. Captain Rico said Big Up has already finished. So ends another "Tales From The Hammock". -Hoyt
Date: 2014-08-30
From: Pierce Pond Lean-To

To: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-To
Miles today: 18.7

18.7 miles hiked, Mile Marker 2049.4I was hiking by 6:05am. Last night I heard loons on the lake and other loud animal sounds I couldn't identify. The first 2.5 miles of trail to the Kennebec River were rough terrain. Rocks and roots were my constant companion. I arrived at the river at 7:50am, so I had time to work on my journal and did so. Hikers started coming in waiting for the water shuttle. He came from the far bank in a red canoe. His name was Dave and a true Mainer. A white blaze was painted on the inside of the canoe to make it an official part of the trail. Dave took us over two at a time, with life jackets on of course. We also had to sign a release. I was hiking again by 9:30am. The trail wasn't too bad, until I climbed Pleasant Pond Mountain. After that, it was pretty much back to business as usual. I met a couple of 20-somethings today: Coyote and Lily. Lily thru hiked in 2013 and was just doing a day hike with Coyote. They were at a gravel road with Captain Rico when I came out of the woods. She had her van there doing Trail Magic. I had a Gatorade, chips and a hard cider. I told them after the cider I would be on the trail mumbling "who am I and why am I here." I also took one to go. But the best part about her Trail Magic: she took my trash, which I had a lot of! The last few miles to the lean-to weren't too bad. There are a few people staying in the lean-to tonight. Looks like a grandpa and his two grandkids. By the way, today was another pretty day, just windy. It might rain tomorrow, but I hope not. Also, some wonderful people gave me about a half pint of freshly picked blueberries. I had those for dessert. Life is a bowl of blueberries. -Hoyt