morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-06-24
From: Rainbow Stream Lean-to

To: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I haven¢t seen any mosquitoes or black flies yet, but that¢s OK! I think that they prefer younger people with tender skin!I did a short day today to get set up to stay at Antlers Campsite on Jo-Mary Lake. Several former thruhikers have told me that it¢s the best campsite on the whole AT!The weather today is clear and sunny. We got a good view of Katahdin from Nesuntabunt Mountain¢a distance of 16 miles as the crow flies. I didn¢t get to see the view when I was here last time!I lost my pocketknife when I stopped for lunch at a nice spring. Kari found it and brought it to me at the shelter. I was almost ready to hike back (1.0 mile) and look for the knife when she gave it to me!When I arrived at the Wadleigh Stream Lean-to, there were already people there. It is a group from Lebanon, TN that the backpackers are calling ¢The Family.¢ The father/leader is ¢Trail Preacher¢/John; the daughter is ¢Tinkerbell¢/Crystal; the son is ¢GIG¢ (God is Gracious); the friend is ¢Old Faithful¢/Andrew. They told me that they hiked Georgia and North Carolina; and then ¢flipped¢ to Maine and are walking south. They are the first backpackers I have ever known to stand ¢watches¢ during the night. Kinda strange!
Date: 2015-06-25
From: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to

To: Antlers Campsite
Miles today: 13.6

¢The Family¢ left the lean-to at abut 6:00 AM this morning. Huge backpacks!Kari Berg from Northern Virginia is hiking to Jo-Mary Road with me. She has a sore/swollen ankle. If it doesn¢t get better today and tomorrow, Stephen could take her to a clinic from Jo-Mary Road. We¢ll see how she does.We had great weather today.Tonight Kari and I are at Antlers Campsite. Another backpacker came in and recognized me. It was Greyhound from the CDT in Glacier in 2007! Small world!
Date: 2015-06-26
From: Antlers Campsite

To: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to
Miles today: 7.9

Kari and I had a nice easy 4-mile walk to Jo-Mary Road. Stephen Dean and I had agreed to meet there at 11:00 AM. Kari and I got to the road at 10:00 AM, and Stephen was already there!Stephen brought communion for me. I wasn¢t surprised, because Shortstop had told me that Stephen did this for him last year. Not many thruhikers have had communion in the middle of the 100-mile wilderness!Stephen had my re-supply box and plenty of trail magic. Other backpackers who showed were Hawk (NOBO from New Jersey) and Tyler and Frank (SOBO from Texas). All of us SOBOs ended up at Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to at pretty much the same time. Kari, Tyler and Frank decided to hike on since it was early. I stayed and did laundry and took a bath.Kari¢s ankle is better today, so she decided not to ride out with Stephen for professional medical treatment. Rain is predicted for Sunday, and her parents are planning to meet her at Monson.We had a good fire at Cooper Brook Lean-to. Joining me were Bob and Maureen Knepp from New Hampshire, ¢Four Ounces¢ and his dog Levi from Texas, and ¢Foss¢ from Texas.
Date: 2015-06-27
To: Logan Brook Lean-To
Miles today: 11.7

Sunny day today!We have pretty much the same group here as last night. Corey and Nina came in late last night and are here tonight.Bob and Maureen Knepp and I are in the shelter. We built a fire but the wood here isn¢t as good as last night. We talked some about the chaplaincy program. They see a need here and recognize how I¢m helping some of the younger, less experienced backpackers.Tomorrow¢s plan is to get over Whitecap Mountain before the rain comes!
Date: 2015-06-28
From: Logan Brook Lean-To

To: Camp near West branch of Pleasant River
Miles today: 12.8

Bob and Maureen and I made it over Whitecap Mountain before the rain started¢but just barely! A steep one and one-half miles from camp to the top.Then the rain began. Not hard, but it made the rocks, roots, and bog bridges wet and slippery. 5.8 miles from the top of Whitecap to the Carl A. Newhall Lean-to. We stopped there to eat lunch.Some other backpackers told us about a lodge operated by the AMC that was near the AT/Pleasant River ford. $80/person/night if you belong to the AMC. Hot showers, running water, electricity and lights, hot meals, etc. Guess where the Knepps are going tonight?Moxie reserved a campsite for me near her camp from North Maine Woods. She was waiting at the river when I got there We decided to go to Greenville and eat out.
Date: 2015-06-29
From: Camp near West branch of Pleasant River

To: Camp Near west branch of Pleasant River
Miles today: 0.0

Moxie and I fixed breakfast¢I made the coffee; she did the rest. Then we waded the river, loaded up her car and went to town.The first stop was the post office in Brownville Junction. We stopped by the Dean¢s house, but there weren¢t home; so I left a note on the front door.Then we drive to Milo to use the laundromat. While the clothes were washing, we went across the street and washed her car. Then while the clothes were drying, we did our grocery shopping. After that was done, we had pizza.After all of the ¢town stuff¢ was done, we drove back to the wilderness and hiked the Gulf Hagas loop. It was pretty awesome¢a gorge with lots of waterfalls. Moxie knew a lot of the history, so she was an excellent guide.
Date: 2015-06-30
From: Camp near West branch of Pleasant River

To: Chairback Gap Lean-to
Miles today: 4.3

Beautiful sunny day today! I did a short day today¢could have gone seven miles further to Cloud Pond Lean-to; but as it turned out, I wouldn¢t have met as many people. It was a short hike but Chairback Mountain is steep and rocky.The water source for the shelter is down a very steep hill on the north side of the shelter, so I got nine quarts (18 pounds!) of water on my way in. I laid out my sleeping bag and reserved my spot in the lean-to; then gathered firewood. This is not an easy location to obtain quality firewood, but I got a fairly adequate supply.It was good that I was prepared. The shelter was full, and we had hikers tenting all around the area.Josh, Daniel, Brent and Josh (from Richmond, VA) are going NOBO through the wilderness. Utogg (from New York) and LB (from Western Massachusetts) are SOBO thru-hikers. John and Matt Geiger are SOBO. John (from Colorado Springs) is Matt¢s grandfather and is doing the 100-mile wilderness. Matt is SOBO for the entire trail.We had a good group, and people sat up talking until 10:00 PM. Then it rained during the night, so everyone slept in late.
Date: 2015-07-01
From: Chairback Gap Lean-to

To: Bodfish Farm/Long Pond Tote Road
Miles today: 11.7

Rain today! Maybe should have hiked farther yesterday? Went over Columbus Mountain, Third Mountain, Mt. Three and a Half, Fourth Mountain, and Barren Mountain.I had given Mailar/John Larson a Yuengling beer at the Partnership shelter in Virginia on March 27th, 2005; now he wants to repay me for my trail magic! I¢ve agreed to meet him at the road crossing after Long Pond Stream Lean-to. Will he be there? If he doesn¢t show, I will have to walk one mile back to the shelter in the rain. Oh, shit! I forgot about having to ford the Long Pond Stream just before reaching the road. Because of the rain, the stream is almost waist deep!The car is here! Mailar had been waiting for six hours because he didn¢t want to miss me. We drove to his house, where he provided me with a Yuengling, a hot shower, a steak dinner, and a warm dry bed. He had a wood stove in the kitchen to dry wet clothes.
Date: 2015-07-02
From: Bodfish Farm/Long Pond Tote Road

To: Highway ME-15/Monson
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Mailar is slack-packing me today! I¢m going from Bodfish Farm/Long Pond Road to Highway ME-15¢14.3 miles. I met and hiked with LB/Michael Gilgunn. We had to do several river fords: Big Wilson Stream, Little Wilson Stream and Thompson Brook.We thought that we would finish by 5:00 PM; but at 5:00 PM, we were at Leeman Brook Lean-to, with three miles to go. We got to the road (ME-15) where Mailar was waiting at about 7:00 PM. Then we took LB to Shaw¢s in Monson.After we dropped off LB, Mailar took me to eat at a restaurant in Greenville. Their specialty was broasted chicken. Mailar said that Stumpknocker said, if it wasn¢t the best chicken in the US, it was at least one of the best five!I¢m spending the night at Mailar¢s house again tonight.
Date: 2015-07-03
From: Highway ME-15/Monson

To: Lakeshore House Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

Mailar cooked me an awesome breakfast, then took me to town. I¢m taking a zero day and spending the night at the Lakeshore House Hostel.There are a lot of SOBOs spending the day in Monson today: LB/Michael Gilgunn, Utogg/Ted Heistman, Itis, Candyman, Woodford, 4 Ounces, Remington and his dog Levi, John and Matt Geiger, Nina and Corey, Nightengale/Becky, Her Dudeness/Chelsea.I went to the post office and sent the Z-pack and some other stuff home. Everyone hung out and visited at Shaw¢s hostel and/or the Lakeshore House. Cell phone reception was terrible in Monson, but I finally managed to make calls to my wife and to my son.Today was Mailar¢s high school class¢ 50th anniversary reunion¢the first one that he has attended. It felt good to have completed the 100-mile wilderness¢almost like finishing a state!
Date: 2015-07-04
From: Lakeshore House Hostel

To: Shirley-Blanchard Road
Miles today: 6.3

Happy Fourth of July! Another day of slackpacking! Mailar picked me up, along with LB, Utogg and Candyman in Monson and took us to his house for breakfast. He fixed us some sort of bagels deep-fried in vegetable oil. He called them ¢grandpas.¢ We ate them with butter and syrup¢mighty tasty!Then he slackpacked us from ME-15 to the Shirley-Blanchard Road, 6.3 miles. There was trail magic waiting for us at the road; I had a cold Moxie!Mailar drove us to his house and cooked dinner. After dinner we watched a video about the AT entitled ¢Southbound.¢ The four of us backpackers stayed at Mailar¢s house for the night.
Date: 2015-07-05
From: Shirley-Blanchard Road

To: Moxie Bald Mountain Lean-to
Miles today: 11.6

Mailar fixed us wild strawberry pancakes for breakfast. Then we packed up, and he shuttled us back to the trail.LB, Utogg and I hiked to the Moxie Bald Mountain Lean-to. Kari was already there when we arrived; ITIS and Four Ounces came in later. We swam in the lake, had dinner, and built a fire. We saw a loon while we were at the lake; ITIS saw a moose on the trail and took a video.We saw several northbounders on the trail today.
Date: 2015-07-06
From: Moxie Bald Mountain Lean-to

To: Pleasant Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 13.1

Today we have to hike thirteen miles to the Pleasant Pond Lean-to, so that we will only have six miles to hike tomorrow morning to catch the ferry across the Kennebec River. The ferry only operates from 9:00 to 11:00 AM. If you miss it, you have to spend a night in Caratunk.The only problem with this plan is that we have to climb Moxie Bald Mountain and Pleasant Pond Mountain. We have one river ford at the south end of Moxie Pond.There was a good cell signal at the top of Moxie Bald, so I called Alan Ashworth, my wife and Outdoor Research. Alan heads up the Appalachian Trail Outreach Ministry, of which the trail chaplain is a part. I hadn¢t been able to call him since I entered the 100-mile wilderness. I had to wait until 11:00 AM to call O.R. since their offices are on the West Coast. I needed to replace my gaiters; they will send a new pair to the Rangeley post office.We met a large number of NOBOs today; there were a high percentage of women. One lady, Red Feather, is from Canada and is one of Canada¢s top athletes. There was a woman and son from Germany. One man is on his third AT thru-hike. Four young men that I met about 6:30 PM are planning to hike to Monson tonight. Thirty-one miles in the dark...Crazy!Pleasant Pond Mountain was a bitch! It had numerous ¢false summits.¢ This was very discouraging.Kari, Iis, Utogg, LB and I finally made it to the lean-to. The rest of our group must have stayed at the Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to.On to Caratunk in the morning!
Date: 2015-07-07
From: Pleasant Pond Lean-to

To: Caratunk--Northern Outdoors
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Nero (near zero) today! Everyone was pretty tired after yesterday¢s hill climbs. We decided to walk down to Caratunk and tent at a resort called Northern Outdoors. This will give the others an opportunity to catch up with us. We¢re starting to bond and develop a team that we are calling ¢The Southbound Wave.¢ I think that this is good for morale. The three that I am with right now are faster hikers than me; I only do about two miles per hour. We had to do a two-mile road walk today to reach the resort¢bonus miles! This place has showers, laundry, hot tub, good food and drink, plus a free shuttle to the river in the morning.We have a really nice campsite tonight right on the bank of the Kennebec River: $11.00/person/night. It¢s level with a nice mat of pine needles on the ground.It looks like fourteen miles tomorrow to West Carry Pond Lean-to. Then we climb the Bigelow Mountains!
Date: 2015-07-08
From: Caratunk--Northern Outdoors

To: West Carry Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: broken clouds

It was HOT last night down by the river. Everyone slept on top of his or her sleeping bags. Then mosquitoes were a problem! I had to put on long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Then it started to rain just as we were taking down and packing up our tents.We had breakfast at the Northern Outdoors Lodge, then took the 10:00 AM shuttle to the Kennebec River. Most of the rest of the group have caught up with us now. Those who hiked six miles to the river this morning are staying at the Pierce Pond Lean-to tonight.We have a new addition to our group tonight: Muffin Man, from Wisconsin. He promised to cook a muffin for me tomorrow morning.I am the only one in the lean-to tonight; everyone else is tenting out. This lean-to has a springhouse with clear, cold water¢10 times better than pond water!
Date: 2015-07-09
From: West Carry Pond Lean-to

To: Little Bigelow Lean-to
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I had a nice easy day today. If I wanted to stay in the lean-tos, I had a choice of 7.7 miles or 17.9 miles. Guess which I chose? Now I have 10.2 miles tomorrow, going over the Bigelow Mountains and 5 miles going downhill into Stratton for a nero.I am at the lean-to tonight with Nap, a SOBO section hiker from Washington, DC, and Deluxe, a NOBO section hiker from Aspen, Colorado. Deluxe did the AT SOBO in ¢08 and did 600 miles of the PCT before getting a stress fracture.I got here at 3:00 PM and got water and gathered wood for a fire. This lean-to had wooden platforms for tents and a privy with two seats!We had an early dinner, then sat by the fire and talked. Deluxe knows several backpackers that I met on the PCT and CDT: Lint, Billy Goat, and Tattoo Joe. Small world!
Date: 2015-07-10
From: Little Bigelow Lean-to

To: Horns Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: scattered clouds

We had decent (partly cloudy) weather today. I climbed Little Bigelow Mountain, Avery Peak, Bigelow Mountain, and South Horn.Horns Pond Lean-to has a caretaker, and her name is Rachael. She and her husband are triple crowners (AT ¢11, PCT ¢12, CDT ¢13). She is a friend of Moxie at Gulf Hagas.There are two lean-tos here and numerous tent sites. Some teenagers from Quebec are at the tent sites. John Snow, Nap, and I are in one of the lean-tos.
Date: 2015-07-11
From: Horns Pond Lean-to

To: Stratton
Miles today: 5.1

Nap got up at 4:00 AM to hike the last five miles down to the road to Stratton. Snow/Matt Geiger went back to sleep until 7:00 AM. Nap is finishing his section hike today and is obviously excited about getting to town.The husband of Rachael (caretaker at Horns Pond) and Flyboxer caught up with Snow and me on the hike to the road. It¢s five miles from the trailhead to Stratton, so I asked him if we could ride to town with him. We had our ride thirty minutes before we got to the road! He took us right to the hostel, then invited Flyboxer and me to go to dinner with him and Rachael that evening.Snow and I checked into the hostel, took showers, got lunch, did laundry, etc. Several other hikers came in¢ Candyman, Corey and Nina, Nightengale, Remington and Levi, plus Miss Match.
Date: 2015-07-12
From: Stratton

To: Crocker Cirque Campsite
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: broken clouds

We slept in, then I went to the grocery store when it opened at 9:00 AM. We re-supplied for the hike to Rangeley, which is 32 miles away.Snow, Nightengale and I hitched a ride back to the trail. We did a short day today because we didn¢t start hiking until 11:00 AM and had to carry a full load of groceries. We climbed North Crocker Mountain and South Crocker Mountain.When we got to the campsite, Utogg was there and had a fire going. He had taken a zero day to wait for us!
Date: 2015-07-13
From: Crocker Cirque Campsite

To: Poplar Ridge Lean-to
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Utogg was already packed up and gone when we got up to fix breakfast! We decided to walk 14 miles today to Poplar Ridge so that we would only have 10 miles tomorrow to get to Rangeley.We had a big climb from the Carrabassett River to Sugarloaf Mountain in the morning, then another climb up to the Poplar Ridge Lean-to in the afternoon. When we got to the lean-to, a group of young campers offered us their leftover pasta with lots of Parmesan cheese! Nightengale and I had the lean-to all to ourselves.
Date: 2015-07-14
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-to

To: Rangeley-The Farmhouse Hostel
Miles today: 10.7

Only 10 miles to town! But first we have to climb Saddleback Junior Mountain, the Horn, and Saddleback Mountain. I¢m hiking with Nightengale/Becky Sandrick today. She¢s a nurse¢hence the trail name¢and also an ultra marathon runner, which is probably why I¢m out of breath!It¢s a beautiful, sunny day, and we have great views from the mountaintops; but it¢s supposed to rain tonight, so we¢re glad to be heading for another hostel. I called Stacey at the Farmhouse Hostel from the top of Saddleback¢five miles from the highway¢to confirm reservations and arrange a pick-up shuttle, since Rangeley is nine miles from the trailhead. We agreed on a 5:30 PM pick-up. We met a lot of slackpackers and day hikers today. One day hiker (from Pennsylvania) offered us ice water and almonds, which we accepted, and a half-pint of vodka, which we declined.We arrived at the trailhead parking area right on schedule at 5:00 PM as it started raining. Fortunately, I had my Golite umbrella! 5:30 PM came and went. At 6:00 PM we decided to try our luck at hitchhiking. We put on our packs and headed for the road, when who should arrive but our Pennsylvania friend from earlier in the afternoon. He gave us a ride to the hostel.At the hostel we discovered that Stacey had gone to the trail to pick us up. She apparently thought she was to meet us at 6:30!Nightingale and I took hot showers and put on our cleanest dirty clothes and went to town for a great dinner at Parkside Main Caf©. Stacey came and picked us up. The hostel is full tonight. The Farmhouse has a pot-bellied pig named Pearl, who sometimes comes into the house, and free range chickens.
Date: 2015-07-15
From: Rangeley-The Farmhouse Hostel

To: Little Swift River Pond Campsite
Miles today: 4.8
Weather: light rain

Stacey fixed a great blueberry pancake breakfast for us. Most of our hiker friends from the Southbound Wave also stayed at the hostel last night; LB & Utogg tented out in the yard. We met Itis¢ friend Bunyon; they hiked together on the PCT. Nightengale and I did laundry, then caught the 10:00 shuttle to town to run errands and resupply.Someone from the Rangeley Highlander, the local newspaper, had contacted the Appalachian Trail Outreach Ministry about doing an interview with me, so I stopped by their office, which was closed. So I left a WILDCAT card in the door.About an hour later while we were getting water treatment at the outfitter store, I got a call from Stephanie Chu-O¢Neil. She came over and took pictures of Nightengale, Woodford, and me.A little later, while Nightengale, Woodford and I were having lunch, the phone rang again. Allen Wicken, a writer for the paper, wanted to interview me. So he came over and talked with us over lunch. I think that the interview went well. Nightengale and Woodford did an outstanding job of explaining what I had done for them and for the other hikers. If I had done it alone, it would have sounded like I was bragging.Then we stopped by the grocery store to resupply on the way back to the hostel. Nightengale and I packed up and caught a shuttle to the trailhead. 4.8 miles¢2.5 hours later we caught up with It is and Bunyon who already had a fire going at the Little Swift River Pond campsite. It was a low mileage day, but I feel that we got a lot accomplished.
Date: 2015-07-16
From: Little Swift River Pond Campsite

To: Bemis Mountain Lean-to
Miles today: 12.9

We had a nice hike today. We had fairly easy trail with one steep descent to Bemis Stream and a 1400-ft. climb to Bemis Mountain. I claimed the last space in the lean-to, and everyone else tented out. Lots of NOBOs here tonight! One of them, Werewolf, is from Sevierville, TN. He¢s wearing a kilt and is on Trail Journals. Some of the NOBOs had heard of the Trail Chaplain program and me when they were in Virginia.
Date: 2015-07-17
From: Bemis Mountain Lean-to

To: AndoverÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂThe Cabin
Miles today: 8.7

The plan for today is to get to The Cabin ASAP! The only problem was that we had to climb Bemis Mountain and Old Blue Mountain to get to the road. Bear/Earl had told me to call for a shuttle from the mountain (2.8 miles from South Arm Road) because there was no reception at the road. Naturally, Itis and Bunyan got there first. They were enjoying a cold drink from a trail angel when Nightengale and I got there. Bear was waiting to drive us to The Cabin.I had stayed at The Cabin in 2004, and it was awesome! It was hoping that the others would not be disappointed. We claimed our bunks, took showers, and did laundry. Dinner was at 6:00 PM: baked ham with sweet potatoes, salad, fresh baked rolls¢all you can eat! Dessert was strawberry shortcake. Then there was ice cream¢if you were still hungry. $20.00/person for bunks showers and laundry; $15.00/person for AYCE breakfast, lunch and dinner¢¦one of the best bargains on the AT!Itis and Bunyan are only staying for one night. Nightengale and I are staying for two. Bear is slackpacking us for ten miles tomorrow.
Date: 2015-07-18
From: AndoverÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂThe Cabin

To: AndoverÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂThe Cabin
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Breakfast was AYCE blueberry pancakes, sausage, biscuits and gravy, fried potatoes, coffee and orange juice. We slackpacked ten miles over Wyman Mountain and Moody Mountain. I called Bear for a pick-up from the top of Moody Mountain.Our slackpack was NOBO, so we got to visit with several of our SOBO friends.As I was getting read to shower, Passin¢ Thru/David Steede from Pennsylvania came into the hostel. He¢s section-hiking NOBO. We met in 2012 at Double Springs Gap Shelter in the Smokies, and he recognized me immediately! ¢WILDCAT!¢ He has a Tyvek groundcloth that I had autographed that night. He wants to hike with me in Pennsylvania.Dinner was AYCE at a pizza place in Andover.