morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-08-03
From: Wocket Ledge

To: Full Goose Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: broken clouds

Mount Success. It was a beast. And then the entrance to the border. The boulders. I mean, suddenly they were all in the wrong place and facing the wrong way. It was almost impossible to get around them and then sometimes just dangerous. All the sudden, there were caves beneath us that we could fall into. Almost lost a water bottle down one. When we finally made it to the border, a thunderstorm came through. Neo pitched his tarp and we ducked out. Kept dry while it poured and heard some massive thunder up the way we were about to go. Must have been 45 minutes or so till we were able to actually cross the border and enter Maine. Well, if the beginning of this state is representative of how it's going to be for a while, it's gonna be nuts. These climbs are wild. I think hard is a good way to describe it.
Date: 2017-08-04
From: Full Goose Shelter

To: Stealth spot before the cascades
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: few clouds

Lazyish morning. Made a really nice oatmeal. Secret ingredient- chocolate chip cookies. Push off and we start going the wrong direction. Quickly realize it and head the right way, here we come. Today, we climb through Mahoosic notch. It's supposed to be the hardest mile on the AT. We feel eager for the challenge. Up our first climb and down we go as we approach the dreaded mile. Even the approach trail is difficult. We spent 3 and a half hours on a .9. It was some of the craziest trail I've eve encountered. Every step could end very badly. GoPro'd the whole thing so pretty pumped to sift through that. Sleeping at a really cool spot. Right near water. Set up the tent well in the rain. Getting pretty good at all this. My knees hurt.
Date: 2017-08-05
From: Stealth spot before the cascades

To: East B Hill Rd
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: clear sky

So Baldpate Mountain will be the one I'll always remember as the biggest challenge. It was up one solid sheet of rock and then down the other. While up wasn't too bad, down was wet as it started to rain. So wet rock almost straight down for a mile. Almost went crazy a couple times. I mean wasn't wasn't too bad cause it wasn't wet but it freaked me out. It was a sheer rock wall. It was foggy and at one point I looked back and could only see of shear sheet of rock that felt like a cliff. It sent a chill up my spine. We pushed through the rest of the day and made it to town. Baby Wipes is meeting us. We need service to talk with him though. No service in these mountains. Once we get to town, it starts to pour too. Just pour and pour. Felt nice eating a sandwich looking at the rain from my dry spot. So nice to not be wet when you aren't. We got a cabin. Baby Wipes will meet us there.
Date: 2017-08-06
From: East B Hill Rd

To: South Arm Road Campsite
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: light rain

So today is Baby Wipes Hikes in Maine Day. We all wake up rather excited. I see him pacing the porch, obviously hyped with anticipation. Organize our stuff like every other day. Tent gets hung outside in the sun to finish drying off. Apply tear tape to the small hole in the bugnet. Hopefully that fixes it. Pack up. In the car. Off the four of us go. Time for resupply. Walmart it is. While Izzy grabs food, I'm in the car with Baby Wipes fixing my broken laces. Neo and her get back and it's a dash to organize all our food for our packs. At the AT trailhead, we separate everything out and stuff our food bags. The hike is much more mellow than the last few days. Almost a regular trail even. Towards the top of the hill we're climbing we get some good old fashioned Maine rock scrambles. They're fun and not too long so they add some excitement. At the top, we all hang for a moment. Baby Wipes is going to head back now. He drove like 4 hours up here just to hike a few hours with us. Love. Love for family. Love for the trail. A desire to find peace. The mountains became for me an obsession and I love that my family has also caught the bug. It a good sickness though. We were meant to be in these woods. We shouldn't forget them.
Date: 2017-08-07
From: South Arm Road Campsite

To: Beamis Stream Stealth Site
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: moderate rain

Most memorable part of today would be the blueberries. We must have spent an hour and a half picking them. Wild and free and fresh. They were born of the mountain. At first, we were just shoveling them in our mouths but then someone had the idea to store some in plastic bags. We ended up with quite a few and we're all looking forward to breakfast in the morning. Headlamp hiking into camp. Settle on a spot and setup. Make dinner while the skies sprinkle a warning of more to come. Finish dinner as the skies open a bit more. Fall asleep to the patter of a solid rain on my tent.
Date: 2017-08-08
From: Beamis Stream Stealth Site

To: Little Swift River Pond
Miles today: 9.3

Today we found an amazing pond just off trail. Sat by it and enjoyed it's cool waters and it's beauty. Jetpack, Hooch and High Noon strolled through. We all hung there for a while. Just taking a brake from our thru-hiker day. We pushed forward another four and a half miles from there and called it quits for the day. I'm tired. I think we're all tired. These mountains really take it out of you. Mentally and physically. Last night the tent was set too low and it was raining so my sleeping bag and my head were both constantly getting wet. I was going crazy. After re-examining the manual, I realized it was due to me setting the trekking rods too low. Upon first setting it up, someone had given the the advice to lower it so that there was more space. It appears the design is exactly opposite. Tonight I am laying in my tent quite comfortable. It's the little things that count. Like the canoe ride we all took in search of a stealth spot on the lake. We threw all our bags in the canoe, I was stuck on the floor. We knew there were leaks but Guthooks (AT iphone trail app) said it had all been fixed. We get out on the lake looking and my butt starts getting wet. Below me is a crack that is taped over with duck tape. I'm giggling now. The canoe is shaking with us as we all laugh. Nothing on the lake. Nothin. Return to shore. Izzy had a lot of fun though. A lot.
Date: 2017-08-09
From: Little Swift River Pond

To: Moose and Dear Stream Stealth
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: broken clouds

My body hurts. My right leg has a different pain in a different muscle every day. Sometimes the same muscle or the same configurations of muscles. The insoles corrected dummy feet which is now working on correcting how my leg moves and the muscles I depend on. Not to mention all the crazy elevation we do everyday. But I have to keep walking and pushing on towards this goal. About to cross the 1,000 miles line. Next few days. It's going to happen. Been really enjoying time with Neo. It's like we've just been friends forever. I guess it's the fact that we're chasing this thing together. It pulls us together and binds us. We would all have each other's back, no questions asked. Did about 4 miles today and then went to town to resupply. Found a couple key hitches. Made the whole thing go real smooth. In my tent now. Think I finally pitched it well. Only took two weeks and a tear in the bugnet. It's a small tear and the patch is working. Even though this world I currently live in is fake, it is so incredibly real. Chasing a dream. What an adventure.
Date: 2017-08-10
From: Moose and Dear Stream Stealth

To: Stealth site near Perham Stream
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: few clouds

Three peaks today. The third was one of the toughest climbs of my trip. My body was wore out from the other two and it just felt like I had nothing else to give. Up I had to go though. Pushed through it. Pushed through the pain the rest of the day. Early night to camp means lots of sleep. Lots of sleep needed.
Date: 2017-08-11
From: Stealth site near Perham Stream

To: ME 27
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: light rain

Plenty of sleep. Eyes keep opening. Could see the moon shining brilliantly through my tent flap. Moon shifting across the sky. Eyes closed again. More sleep. Now the first morning lights are awake. Glance at time. 6 am. More sleep. Finally wake up sometime around 7. Get myself out of the tent and what do I hear? Thunder rumbling in the distance. No rain. No sign of rain. Get the food bags down. Neo quickly sets up his tarp. We have breakfast under the tarp as the first storm hits. At points it's a straight up downpour. Lounging. Thinking about the miles we need to do today. Thinking about how much my knees ache and I can't stretch them enough without getting wet. Rain finally passes as the thunder quiets down. The stage is set for the rest of the day. Storms passing through. We're planning on pushing big miles today. Been saying that for the last 4 days though. This terrain is exhausting. Up and down and up and down. Then every footstep is a death trap, sometimes for miles. Mentally worn from being afraid I'm going to break an ankle or fall down a 30 foot rock scramble. Body is tired from climbing so many mountains. Today we will hit 5 peaks. By number 3, my body slows. I can climb at 2 miles an hour sometimes but at this point, my pace might be .5. It feels like every step takes all my strength. Night hike out of the mountains. We're going to stay in town tonight. End up sleeping in a screened-in porch at a motel next to garbage. Thru hiking.
Date: 2017-08-13
From: ME 27

To: Safford Notch Campsite
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: light rain

Back at it again. Plenty of breakfast. I've reorganized my pack some and really like how streamlined it's all getting. The Bigelows are today. The peaks themselves are rocky arches with winds whipping violently. Get into camp thankful and ready to rest. Maine. We're here. Can hardly believe it.
Date: 2017-08-14
From: Safford Notch Campsite

To: West Carry Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Another day of pushing on ahead. Picked blueberries again. Spent about an hour and a half hanging at a beautiful pond. We all took a dip and refreshed ourselves. Biggest part of the day, we became 1,000 milers. Been thinking about that number a long time. Can't believe we've made it this far. Truly an accomplishment. Time for rest.
Date: 2017-08-15
From: West Carry Pond Lean-to

To: US Route 201
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: moderate rain

Pushed on to Caratunk to get off trail for the night. Neo looked at us and said, "We're gonna warm up kinda slow and then I'm going to hike and you guys need to do the best you can to keep up with me." We accepted the challenge.  Ended up at the Northern Outdoors retreat center. Enjoyed beer and food and hung with High Life. He seems to be around more and more these days. Between him and Neo it feels like we really have a tramily.
Date: 2017-08-16
From: US Route 201

To: 2050.9 power lines
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was magical. We all decided to cowboy camp. Well, rather, we hiked until we were too tired to go further and that happened to be a power line cut through the forest. That same opening for the power lines had endless blueberries and just the right spot for three people to cowboy camp. We threw our tent on the ground and then our pads and quilts. As the sky darkened the stars brightened. I think I saw the stars in a way that night I may never see again. I fought to stay awake but sleep took me eventually.
Date: 2017-08-18
From: Shaw's

To: Shaw's Lodging
Miles today: 0.0

Day off in Monson. This town rules! On a lake. Super quiet. Great cheap restaurant. Resupply from home to go through. Bunch of hikers here. Everyone just partying. But hiker party means sitting around resting and talking. Even talking quietly. No one is out of control. We're all just thankful for a break.
Date: 2017-08-19
From: Shaw's Lodging

To: Shaw's Lodging
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Will we ever leave? This place is sucking us in. Also, Neo hasn't left. And he's staying again, so we gotta give him one more day to take off. He wants to continue alone and we get it. The 100 mile seems to represent something to everyone. For Neo it seems to be a time to cleanse right before the end. For us, it seems to be a time to challenge ourselves and challenge just us. For the last couple of weeks we have been journeying with a NOBO with tons of experience. Leaning on his knowledge when we don't know what to do. We've learned a lot. Especially when it comes to camping and finding good places and places not always mentioned or known. He pushed us to go further than we thought we could. Faster than we thought we could. He had a saying. "You can do anything for a mile." I think you can apply that to more than just miles but that saying goes along way. Like if you have 1.6 miles. Well, you can do anything for .6 and when that's over, well, we know what you can do with a mile. You can do it. We'll set off soon to see what we can now accomplish as the team we have become.
Date: 2017-08-21
From: Lake Hebron Parking

To: Thompson Brook Stealth Site
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Back at it. After three days off, it was good to get moving again. I had hoped that the rest would rejuvenate some of my body that was hurting and it seems like I'm good. Seems Izzy is feeling the same way. One thing is different today, no Neo. It's funny how much he really affected us and influenced our hiking. He's already missed. We made up the three and a half miles we had jumped out early from and bam!, we're in the 100 mile wilderness. It's incredibly beautiful and peaceful here. The ponds are just gorgeous. Each reflecting the world about it in its own way. Set up camp and now time for sleepy. We got big miles ahead of us.
Date: 2017-08-22
From: Thompson Brook Stealth Site

To: Cloud Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Today started with a river ford. It was pretty wide. We tried three different approaches before we both just plunged through the water. It came up above our ankles. Maybe to our knees at times. It was pretty awesome. But then our shoes were soaked. So started the day off with wet shoes. Definitely slowed us down but so did our packs. They were pretty heavy today. Like more than yesterday somehow. Kinda took me by surprise. Pushing up Barren Mountain really took it out of me. But we pulled off trail early and now we're at this beautiful pond. One of the best campsites of our trip. And there's a little rain coming in. Hoping it doesn't last too late into the morning. Also, we saw an eagle. We were at the ledges just before Barren Mountain Peak and, after sitting there for a while, it flew by us. I watched it fade away as it headed north toward the peak. It was magnificent. Second time to see one in the wild. Hope to see another. And would love to hear one cry. For now, the loons  are my favorite. The call they made the other night was mesmerizing.
Date: 2017-08-23
From: Cloud Pond Lean-to

To: 2108.3 stealth site 
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night, I awoke to a trekking rod falling on me. The one holding the tent up. A gust of wind blew out three of our pegs and the left side of the tent was rustling furiously in the wind. I tried to wake Izzy but she was out. I reached out of the tent and fixed the peg closest to the rod, tacking it back in place with the rock I had just happened to leave there. Then I got out and reset the other two. I didn't take enough time clearly to make sure we were solid. At about 2200 feet and right on the pond, it will be forever one of my favorite campsites but this storm was a nightmare. I made it back in the tent and lay down again. I couldn't sleep for a while though. I kept fearing for the tent to fail. Sleep came finally. Till about four hours later when buckets were pouring on us. We were both awake this time. Bucket after bucket. More than ever before. And then, the stakes blew again. This time it was chaos. Wind and water flew about everywhere. Izzy held the tent together as best she could while I went back outside for damage control. I got the two pegs in and jumped back in the tent. At first, everything looked soaked and I panicked. But then I realized it wasn't that much water. The rain slowly slowed and eventually I fell asleep again. The morning is better. So much fog covering the pond and then slowly lifting as it burns off. We move over to the shelter to dry off as much as we can. Calves and Nails show up as well and we share some of the morning with them. Today is crossing the first ridge of the wilderness day. We have four more peaks to hit before we descend into the valley. Lots of ridge running and many miles later, I find myself at this awesome stealth spot, cooking dinner and writing this journal in the twilight. The 100 mile is fantastic. It's beautiful and in some ways it feels really untouched. Took my shoes off and forded a river today. That was fun.
Date: 2017-08-24
From: 2108.3 stealth site 

To: Mountain View Pond Stealth
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Saw Katahdin for the first time today. It was closer than I had imagined it would be. I was floored. And slightly overwhelmed. We've gone halfway. We hit halfway in a mile. Half of this thru hike finished. With all that has happened and all I've learned, I can't wait to embrace the rest of this. Just did a mile in 10 minutes. Now that's flooring it. Got my trail legs. For sure. Can't wait to camp tonight. Our stealth spot last night was incredible. Overwhelmed with joy and also surprised by how comfortable I felt. One thing you get out here is peace. It is still fleeting but I feel like I know how to recognize it better. We also camped at exactly our halfway point. It was a beautiful pond and we set up just past some canoes maybe 15 feet from the water. We had a perfect night. Made a great dinner. It was a chili we had prepared at home. Really hit the spot. Apparently some kind of animal shook the canoes while we were sleeping. Another hiker had heard it moving about in the night. Pretty wild. At this point, we are psyched instead of scared about that. We are now hikers. We are stronger. We are faster. We know what's too much. We know what is dangerous. We know how far we can go. We know how far is far. We are confident. We love hiking.
Date: 2017-08-26
From: 2145 Stealth Site

To: Rainbow Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: broken clouds

We caught up again with Super Mario today. I was really hoping that we would see him again. He's been a wonderful part of these northern adventures. We hiked together a fair amount but spent a good part of our breaks lounging and eating. We are all talking about food so much. 6 days in the woods will do that to you. Tomorrow we leave the wilderness. Today was one of the most peaceful walks I've taken in a long time. These woods really do have a power and one that heals I believe. I look forward to walking through here with others and sharing this amazing place. Maine, you will be missed. You keep trying to steal my heart. This land out here. It's something else. The tortures of southern Maine Trails and the vastness of this northern region. It's something out of a dream. It's magic. We also met Emram. Our newest buddy. She tented near us after a long day as well. We met a couple days back and have spent some time talking. She's super cool.
Date: 2017-08-27
From: Rainbow Stream Lean-to

To: Abol Bridge Campground
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Last day in the wilderness. Filmed a bunch of it because it is so strikingly beautiful. The ponds. The path. There is a certain kind of peace that exists here. It's hope it stays with me. Hilariously, the last 6 miles were spent thinking about cheeseburgers. It was a long 100 miles. At camp, we meet Super Mario, rent a cabin together and spend some quality time talking and trying to sort out what it is we are doing slash have done. This trip leaves a lot to be explored. Internally, that is. I think the best thing I have learned so far he so eloquently explained. We cannot stay out here. We can't live this way forever. It seems the best thing to do is take this "new" ability to see the beauty around us and return home with it. Maybe show others but also just keep trying to remember. And not lose it. Not lose it when we go back to where we came. I hope part of this never leaves me.
Date: 2017-08-28
From: Abol Bridge Campground

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Seems like forever before we leave. That's cause trying to let the outside world know what's going on from the end of the earth is rather frustrating. No real wifi or rather any that worked. A satellite phone that only sends calls. After trying to reach Cat and my mom all morning, I finally get through to them and we finalize plans for the next day. We'll hike Katahdin, run the Knife Edge and swing down to Roaring Brook Campground. So we take off for Katahdin Stream Campground. People usually make the 10 mile hike in one day and then the ascent the next day. That's our plan. The hike in is great except that almost immediately upon entering Baxter Park, mosquitoes assault us to the point we have to use insect block. We hardly ever put this on as it's not great rubbing chemicals all over your body but today we couldn't help it. They were nasty. The waterfalls that came next though. Powerful and gorgeous. We strolled along and finally made our way. Emram was already setup. She had finagled a site and we decided to split it with her, after she offered of course. They only allow 12 thru hikers daily to stay at the thru hiker site. This allowed us to not have to worry at all. Definitely a relief. Before making our way out to the campsite, we met Sweatheart, a German thru hiker, and JD, a LASH. LASH is short for long @$$ section hiker. Both super cool dudes and offered to have us over to hang before turning in for the night. So once we got it all together at the campsite, we headed over to hang. They brought a couple of beers out so we had one and also had some rehydrated humus. Too good. It was amazing. With Fritos. Killer combo. Eventually it was far too late and we headed home. Long day tomorrow.
Date: 2017-09-05
From: Where we started from on Part 1

To: Comfort Inn
Miles today: 0.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Spent most of the day getting to Harper's Ferry. Took a lunch break once we got there. Walked from the river to the ATC headquarters and on the way came face to face with a thunderstorm. So we walked like .2 further and went to the Confort Inn in town. End of day.
Date: 2017-09-07
From: Confort Inn

To: Ridge to River Trail Spring Stealth
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: scattered clouds

So instead of waking up at 5 and hitting the trail, we left around 8:30 maybe even 9. But you know what? No rush. Besides finishing this in time. Really nice hike today but at about mile 14, my right leg started to give out. New shoes mixed with insoles and not hiking for a week means lots of pain. Hope tomorrow will be better. I'm sure it will. For now, going to enjoy some dinner and a nice quiet night in the woods. Great to be back on trail. Missed it. But my body hurts. A lot.