morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-09-09
From: Eliza Brook Shelter

To: Lonesome Lake Hut
Miles today: 5.9

We wake to rain showers this morning and now it's time to decide what to do. Hike, wait or stay? I decide to wait as the others in the shelter take off in the rain one by one. Calmwater and I decide to wait a bit longer and I sstart about 0840 during a break in the rain. My goal today is the Liberty Springs campsite but it depends on the weather too. I start slow to let the legs warm up. The climb up Mt Kinsman is steep with many, many exposed rock surfaces. Part of the way up I reach for my map and realize I had dropped it somewhere on the trail behind me. i can only hope Calmwater finds it. The rain has made the ground and rocks slippery so it is slow going. My boots are doing great on the rock by sticking as I climb. I know I still have to be careful because one wrong step could mean a nasty fall. The weather gets worse as I continue to climb and the wind picks up too. This has be the most technical climb I have done so far made even worse now because of the rain. I reach the top and continue without stopping. The visibilty is about 100 ft or less in places. I am going to stop at the Lonesome Lake Hut and decide whether to keep going or not. Besides, if Calmwater found my map it will be worth the stop. Days like today I are a challenge but what else can you do. On the way down I am extremely careful as to where I place my feet. The ground is muddy, the roots are slick, and it is steep. I do take a short fall, butt plant more like, when I catch the edge of a slippery root. I get to the hut and feel like a wet rat. I am glad to be there to warm up and eat something. I take advantage of the hot chocolate, leftover pancakes, and other snacks. I still have 5.5 miles and will make a decision by 1430 whether to keep going. The rain continues off and on during my break. Shortly before I have to decide I see Calmwater coming down the trail and yell to him to get out of the rain and I will buy him a hot chocolate. I also ask if he found a map and he did. Yeah!! The rain looks like it's not going to let up anytime soon so we collectively decide to stay on a work for stay deal at the hut. Maia is one of the crew here and they have a great attitude. There is only one guest here for the night. His name is Jay or "Jaybird" as he said. We are given a space in one of the bunk areas and go change into dry clothes. We get back and get started washing some dishes as part of the work for stay. It is worth the time if you can do it. The food at dinner was great. We were able to eat with Jay since there was plenty of food for the night. Awesome!! We finish the evening by doing some more dishes before heading to the bunk house. I hope the rain lets up tomorrow. Shelter: Handyman, Calm Water, Jay (guest)Work for stay at hut doing dishesCrew really nice. maia
Date: 2007-09-17
From: Gorham, NH

To: Gentian Pond Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: clear sky

Woke about 0700 for breakfast. Don't need to go to fast this morning since the Post Office doesn't open 'til 0830. Had a big breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon which should keep me going all morning. After going to the post office for my maildrops and making ohe to mail for the 100 mile wilderness it was about 0930. While standing outside the post office by the sidewalk I see Google and GQ coming in my direction. Always good to see them. I tried hitching a ride for about 45 minutes before giving up and stopping at Subway for an early lunch. Might as well eat again before leaving town. After lunch my hitching attempt took about 10 minutes. Yahoo! I was dropped off at the trail and took a few minutes to get in hiking mode. Off go the pants and long sleeve shirt. The first mile was road walking until it started on a dirt road. Town visits/zeroes are hard because your pack is heavy and the legs are like jelly. The first hill climb was hard for that reason until everything warmed up and then it got a little easier.   The trail was a bit easier than the last 5 days have been in the Whites. I kept a steady pace and made it to the shelter by 1800. Not to bad. 11.2 miles in just over 6 hours with full pack out of town. Got to the shelter, changed into warm clothes, ate, and relaxed for a few minutes. The temperature may be in the 30's tonight. The other thing about this shelter are the mice that are running around. They are jumping mice. I hope they don't bother me to much. We'll see. It looks like I will be alone here tonight. Good day to be back hiking. Hard at first but easier when warmed up. Wx: cool/cold-am/pm, 45-60,
Date: 2007-09-18
From: Gentian Pond Shelter

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

Up early to a beautiful view of the valley below. The low areas were shrouded in fog. I hit the trail at 0800. The temperature was still chilly so I started in pants and long sleeve shirt. That lasted about 30 minutes until I got to the top of the first hill. I feel sluggish and my legs don't want to warm up to hike. The whole body is still tired I guess. Anyway, it was a long arduous climb up to the summit of Mt Success. When I finally got to the top I still felt tired and lethargic. I hope I'm not catching something. Maybe it's the pack weight since it is heavier than normal out of town. I kept moving and reached a peak before Carlo Col campsite. I decided to eat lunch and rest. I felt like I had no energy all morning. As I was getting lunch ready, Frog came up from the north part of the trail. We talked a couple of minutes before he hiked on. After lunch I was still feeling kind of blah so I layed down on the exposed rock in the warm sun and napped for about 20-30 minutes. After that I still felt tired but needed to get moving. The trail from here is technical and required hand holds, sit downs, and going backwards down the steep trail. I have had to do this many times today in other places but this was the hardest. I kept hiking and started to feel a little better but the trail was difficult to hike today. Rocks, roots, bogs, steep accents/decents. It makes for a long day. I encountered steps of rebar on Goose Eye Mt plus walking on many planks coming down the north side of Goose Eye mt. On the way down I thought I saw someones laundry hanging but it was only a string of flags. There was also a steep rock climb and long ladder today. Finally got to shelter early enough to rest up for Mahoosuc Notch tomorrow. The shelter is nice and so are the tent platforms. I choose one for my tent and get setup early. The water here has a greenish tint to it. I still treated it anyway. Wx: cool/cold-am, 40/pm,50-60
Date: 2007-09-19
From: Full Goose Shelter

To: Speck Pond Shelter
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: clear sky

Up and feeling kind of nauseas. Started hiking slow going up hill to pace myself this morning. Not sure why I am feeling ill/weak today. Will have to see how the rest of the day goes. I made pretty good progress for the first 1.4 miles in about an hour. Not bad. Time to enter the "Notch". The Mahoosuc Notch is supposed to be the toughest mile on the AT. After having gone through it, I would agree. I liked it because it was different than the day to day hiking up and down hills. It was challenging with rock climbs, 'tunnels', a moose carcass, and a whole thought process of how do I get over/around this object. That mile took me 2 hours mainly because I was deliberate in where I put each foot. No time to be stupid and get hurt here. After finishing that it was a relief to be hiking or so I thought. The trail pretty much went straight up Mahoosuc Arm Mt. It was a hard climb probably due to how I was feeling. I stopped about every 100ft it seemed for a short break. Normally I would have just plodded along at a slow climbing pace and knocked it out pretty quick. Not today. Once I got to the top I took a lunch break to enjoy the views. It was clear out and visibility had to be 50-100 miles. Awesome! After lunch I went the next .9 miles to the Speck Pond shelter/campsite for water. After getting and treating the water and looking how far I still had to, 7 miles. I decided to call it a day and set up my tent. I still wasn't feeling good so this was probably a good idea. I ended up taking a 2 hour nap before getting up to eat dinner. The gang from last night (Lucky, Billy, One-Step) is here and so are Janet and Yonder. Maybe a good nights sleep will change how tomorrow goes. I hope so. I hate to think I am coming down with something now. So close to the end and....... Wx: cold-am, 40-60/pm
Date: 2007-09-20
From: Speck Pond Shelter

To: Frye Notch Lean-To
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: few clouds

Feeling a little better today but kind of rundown. Maybe it¢s from dehydration. I know I hadn't been drinking as much the past couple days. The cumulative effect may be showing now. Last night I tried drinking more to see if it helped. Today seems better. I started off slow as usual in the morning and it took me about an hour to get to the top of Old Speck Mt. Slow and steady all the way up. I took a short break at the brook half way down to Grafton Notch and three day hikers come by. They came up the Elbow Trail and turned north instead of south to the peak. Oops. I finish hiking down to the notch and then start up the other side toward Bald Pate Mt. The first half was hiking trail to the shelter. I get there and get water to refill what I had already drank. I am trying to stay hydrated even more today. It's hard in cooler weather to remember to drink often. After lunch and a rest I start up the hill to the top. It gets steeper and steeper in places and I feel like I'm rock climbing again instead of hiking. I meet two ladies coming down and we chat for a minute or two. One is from Colorado and the other Wyoming. About 15 minutes later I come across a trail maintainance crew out relocating part of the trail for future use. Thanks guys! I make it to the top of Bald Pate Mt and the views are awesome. The trail down is steep too with ladders in high rock places. The area between the west and east peaks is pretty easy and boggy in some areas. The climb up east peak is nothing but a rock climb. You have to use your hands in places to pull you up. The same on the downhill side too but to lower you down when no ladder is available. The top of the second peak is exposed and it's very windy. The views are great though. The downill is an exercise in how steep can you go down without falling on your butt. This would be treacherous in wet weather. I'm glad it's sunny and dry today. Once I get off this rocky peak and down into the notch I start hiking again. It feels great to be able to stretch the legs out in a hiking stride. I get to the shelter and there is nobody here. It looks like I may be alone tonight at the shelter. The mice will keep me company. Off to bed and some more rest. Hope I feel better tomorrow. Wx: cool-am, 50/pm, 50-65
Date: 2007-09-21
From: Frye Notch Lean-To

To: Andover, ME (Pine Ellis Hostel)
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Up around 0700 and feeling so-so today and still feeling kind of rundown though. I've decided to go into Andover and stay the night to see how I feel tomorrow. Maybe a short day will help. The trail after the shelter pretty much is a steep climb but I take it slow. My legs feel weak to go along with how I've been feeling the past few days. I hope whatever it is goes away soon so I can continue at or near full strength. When I get to the top of the hill I call the hostel to arrange for a shuttle pick-up at the road about 1200. I figure it shouldn't take me long to cover about 4.5 miles starting at 0800. The rest of the hike was hiking on good trail. I get down to Dunn Notch and there is a cool waterfall there. I wish I could have camped out here. I get to the road about 1140 and take a spot on the side of the road to sit, relax, cool down and wait. I even have a chance for a short nap before my ride arrives. David is the driver/owner of the hostel and he offers me some lemonade which I gladly accept. I check in and start by doing laundry, shower, and resting. Whatever this intestinal chaos is that I have is very uncomfortable with all the gas buildup it creates. The diarrhea doesn't help either. I go to the general store/diner for lunch and resupply. It seems that what I eat now just causes more discomfort and the need to be close to a toilet. What a crappy situation. Haha! I hope it's not giardia or something like that. The rest of the day is just that - rest. We'll see how I feel tomorrow. Wx: cool-am, 50/pm, 60-70. At the Hostel: Handyman, Bum Bum, B, GQ, Thumper, Google and Sunshine, Lucky, The Bag Lady, Moonpie
Date: 2007-09-22
From: Andover, ME (Pine Ellis Hostel)

To: Andover, ME (Pine Ellis Hostel)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Decided to take a zero day today to recover from the intestinal chaos. The rest of the gang here went slack packing this morning while I decided to stay and regain some strength and hopefully feel better. I still have some intestinal discomfort but not like yesterday. This sucks! Wx: overcast, cool
Date: 2007-09-23
From: Andover, ME (Pine Ellis Hostel)

To: Rt 4, Gull Pond Hostel, Rangely, ME
Miles today: 13.3

I am going to give slack packing a try today as a way to recover slowly but quickly from my recent ailment. I'll be hiking with B, Bum Bum, and Thumper today. By not carrying the full weight of my pack I can regain some strength by going light. We were dropped off at the trail and began the day going up to Old Blue Mt. It was a steep climb in places but overall easier than previous mt climbs. The lighter pack helps too but my legs still feel a bit weak. I go slow and steady until the body loosens up. On the way up there are glimpses of outstanding views. The colors of the foliage are changing but not fully yet. After reaching the top and stopping for a short snack break we continue on. The next hill is Elephant mt before we get to Bemis Mt and the shelter. At the shelter we take a short break again and B phones the hostel to arrange a pickup time at the road. We have 4.4 miles to go in about 2.5 hours and arrive at 1630. Shouldn't be a problem. The trail is pretty much a series of downhills from the shelter until we get to Bemis Stream. From there we still have about .9 miles to go up to the road. Everyone arrives at the road between 1615-1630. Good timing. We are met by Bob the shuttle driver and owner of the Gull Pond Hostel. A great guy and hiker friendly to the last. He shuttles us to Rangeley first to get some snacks for tomorrow and also drop off Bum Bum to meet his parents here too. The 3 of us go to the hostel. Bum Bum and his parents come to the hostel to pick us up for dinner and we decide on the Red Onion in town. Great place to eat with great food. Back to the hostel after dinner and then to bed. Hostel: Handyman, Bum Bum, B, Thumper, Bigfoot, Bill the Pony. Wx: clear, cool, windy
Date: 2007-09-27
From: Caribou Pond Rd

To: Stoney Brook Pond Rd, Stratton, ME
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: light rain

Today we checked out of the Gull Pond Hostel. We spent 4 nights there as a base camp for our slack packing. Bob is a great host. I would stay there again. We started about 0830 at the road and followed the trail on a gradual accent until the last 20 minutes to the top of S. Crocker Mt. It was foggy and windy at the top and we didn't stay long. Our next stop was lunch on top of Crocker Mt where the wind was blowing pretty good. Probably in the range of 20-30mph. The trail down to the road was long and seemed to last all day. The leaves that have turned color and fallen to the ground make the trail slippery in areas. It also added a lot of color to the trail with the red, yellow, and orange. The sunlight coming through the trees also added a different color glow to the forest. By the time I got to the pickup point I was pretty tired. I'm still not feeling 100 percent and even these slack packing days are exhausting. I'm ready for a zero but will wait to see what tomorrow brings. Hotel: Handyman, Bum Bum, B, Thumper. Talker Man, Mr & Mrs Buford (bum bum's parents). Wx: overcast, cool, windy
Date: 2007-09-28
From: Stratton, ME

To: Stratton, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Feeling really sick today. Weak, diarrhea, slight headache, fatigued. I will have to see a Dr today. I feel awful and need medical help. In the mean time I will try to rest all day and try to hydrate again. I was able to sleep some this morning and arrange for a 1400 appointment at a family practice facility in N. New Portland. Mr. and Mrs Buford took me to see the Dr and wait for me. They are the greatest. I am fortunate that they are here now with a mode of transportation. The doctor sees me and it is confirmed that I have giardia. That Sucks! She prescribes a medicine to take for the next week. Before all this I get weighed and have my blood pressure taken. I weigh 164lbs, therefore I have lost 36lbs since starting. My BP was 95/57 which is very low and probably from being dehydrated. Hotel: Handyman, Bum Bum, B, Thumper. Talker Man, Mr & Mrs Buford (bum bum's parents). Wx: overcast, cool, windy
Date: 2007-09-30
From: Stratton, ME (Spillover Motel)

To: Bingham, ME (Bingham Motor Inn)
Miles today: 0.0

Woke up and went to eat breakfast to hopefully start eating something on a regular basis. I had two bowls of cereal and two English muffins. So far so good. Went back to room to relax and pack up for our move to another location. I'm still not able to hike while I am fighting this bug and diarrhea too. Giardia really sucks! We check out of the rooms and hang out in the motel lounge until it's time to go pick up the guys at the trailhead. I eat one sandwich for lunch and decide on a root beer for a drink. I have had a couple of days to get plenty of rest but I'm still feeling weak and rundown. This ailment has taken a lot out of me. So has the dehydration effect from the diarrhea. We moved onto Bingham, ME to stage out of there. Unfortunately I still do feel well enough to hike or even slack pack. Maybe a couple more days. Hotel: Handyman, Bum Bum, B, Thumper, Mr & Mrs Buford (bum bum's parents). Wx: overcast, cool, windy
Date: 2007-10-01
From: Bingham, ME (Bingham Motor Inn)

To: Greenville, ME (Kineo Motor Inn)
Miles today: 0.0

Moving day. We are relocating further up the trail today. After we drop off the guys at the trail we will continue on to the next base of operation in Greenville. I wish I was feeling well enough to hike today. I am feeling much better but I had better take a couple more days to be certain. I don't want to get back to the trail to soon and then be really ill a day or two later. No, I will wait until I regain more strength first.
Date: 2007-10-02
From: Greenville, ME

To: Greenville, ME
Miles today: 0.0

Today I am in Greenville, ME. I have been ill with Giardia the past 5 days and am recovering quite well now. It knocked me down but not out. Maybe a couple more days of rest to regain my strength and I will be able to finish this hike. I should be finishing about the 10th of Oct. I would like to thank my brother Bill for updating my journal the past few weeks. Thanks Bill. Life on the trail is simple but without internet access it makes updating an online journal difficult, if not impossible.
Date: 2007-10-03
From: Blue blaze into Monson

To: Maine 15, Greenville, ME (Kineo Motor Inn)
Miles today: 3.3

Today is a short day for me. I feel better and I need to see whether I can hike now. It will be a good day to stretch my legs and I will only carry a liter of water and a couple candy bars just in case. We are going to slack pack this short distance and take a nero the rest of the day and get a good nights rest before starting the 100 mile wilderness tomorrow. The day is a good one and I feel good afterwards. I¢m ready to hike again.
Date: 2007-10-04
From: Maine 15, Greenville, ME (Kineo Motor Inn)

To: Long Pond Sream Lean-to
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: few clouds

We are going to slack pack this section and Glen will bring our packs to a road crossing before the shelter tonight. We all pack into the truck and head over to Shaw¢s to pick up Google and Sunshine and anyone else that needs a ride. There are many hikers at Shaw¢s and I also get to see Skip again. It¢s been a while since I saw Skip. We meet Talkerman and his wife there too. We start at the trailhead on Maine 15 and begin the 100 mile wilderness. It feels great to be hiking again and I¢m happy to be back out here. The trail is pretty easy and takes us to Barren Cliffs and Barren Mt. The hike up the cliffs was steep and tiring but I kept a slow pace and made it to the ridge on top. Bum Bum and B were already at a clear spot on the rocks with an awesome view of the valley below. It¢s a great place to take a break and enjoy the view. I also make a call to Mate to congratulate them on finishing their hike. I figure they may be summiting today if they kept the same pace over the last month. We move on and I take a short break on Barren Mt next to a fire tower with no structure on top. It¢s laying on the ground in pieces. Talkerman decides to climb up halfway before coming back down. Hotel: Handyman, bum bum's parents, B, Thumper, Google and Sunshine, Bum Bum). Wx: warm- 70¢s, clear.
Date: 2007-10-07
From: East Branch Lean-to

To: Potaywadjo Spring Lean-To
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: clear sky

It rained last night off/on until about 0400. I had to get up at 0530 to pee because it was like sticking your hand in running water laying there listening to the rain. I couldn¢t lay there any longer. It was about 36 degrees out and windy but the skies were clear. I could see the crescent moon and one of the planets through an opening in the trees. I wish I had a tripod to set a time exposure photo. I was moving pretty slow since it was cold out and it was still dark. I packed up and ate breakfast and was ready to hit the trail an hour later. Once the legs and body warmed up the trail turned into a ¢highway¢ and we took off. It was great to be able to walk and not have to look at the ground the whole time and to get a full stride going again. I stopped at Cooper Pond shelter for a snack and waited for the guys to show up. The shelter sits close to the creek and a big pool which would be nice and refreshing during the summer. Since it was still chilly the thought of swimming was brief. The guys didn¢t stop here and I caught up with them down the trail. The trail was great today and we cruised on until we reached Jo Mary Rd. Bum Bum¢s parents were there to our surprise and excitement. They bought sandwiches, drinks, and fruit for us which we gladly consumed. I had my maildrop here too and went off to find where Kathy Preble stashed it. She provides thru-hikers with a great service by accepting and delivering maildrops of food to this location. Otherwise, you would have to carry an extra 3-4 days of food through the 100 mile wilderness. Thank you Kathy. The weather today was outstanding. The trail continued to be nice for a few more miles until about Antlers Tent site. I stopped there for a privy break at Fort Relief. The privy construction looked like an old fort the way the logs were used. Cool places like this are out in the middle of the wilderness and are great. I get to the shelter about 20 minutes before Bum Bum and go check out the spring when Thumper arrives. I decided to stay in the shelter tonight rather than hammock since tomorrow is a long day and the few minutes I may save in the morning may be the difference between arriving in daylight or darkness. The spring is really neat because it is a pool about 15 feet in diameter and about a foot deep. The water is clear and cold. While the others are getting situated I start a campfire and it makes the end of this day just about perfect. What a great day to hike. Awesome!! I love it out here and it¢s going to be hard when it comes to an end. Tenting: Janet and Yonder. Shelter: Handyman, BumBum, Thumper, B, Google and Sunshine. Wx: cool-36/am, warm/pm