morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-06-26
From: NH 16, Pinkham Notch

To: Imp Campsite
Miles today: 13.1

Today I resumed my northbound hike, along with Sweeper. The climb up Wildcat Mountain was pretty hard, 2000+ foot climb with lots of big rocks. The descent down Middle Carter Mt was also difficult, due to a lot of big, wet slick rocks, due to the light rain. The shelter was full, including us. There were a lot of wekend hikers, plus two SOBO thru hikers. Tomorrow We go into Gorham, to resupply. I also hope to be able to download my pictures, since I haven't been able to, since Vermont.
Date: 2010-06-27
From: Imp Campsite

To: US 2, Gorham, NH
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: fog

Easy short trail day to Gorham, to resupply. We spoke to a NOBO thru hiker, who had just finished his thru-hike and was on his way home (he started Feb. 7th). Thanks go to Ghost for picking us (Sweeper & me) up at the trailhead, and will give us a ride back tomorrow morning. Also, thanks go to Fenceman and Pat for giving us a huge amount of trail food and for the ride to Walmart, to complete our resupply. I was not able to gain access to a computer (it's Sunday thus the libary is closed) to download my pictures. Maybe I will have access to a computer in 4 or 5 days, when I get to Rangeley, ME.
Date: 2010-06-28
From: US 2, Gorham, NH

To: Carlo Col Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: light rain

Started in the rain today, with Sweeper. It was slow going, with climbs up Mt Hayes, Cascade Mtn, and Mt Success. The trail just prior to the shelter was very difficult, due to some large rocks. We crossed our final state line today, entering Maine, the last of the 14 AT states. Tomorrow we hike thru Mahoosuc Notch, which is known as the most difficult mile of the AT, some say the most fun mile, but I don't expect it to be fun for me. Previously I stated that we had completed the White Mtns AT section, but actually we are still in the White's until Grafton Notch, ME (probably tomorrow or the next day). Also, I was finally able to pull off my loose and dead, toenail, today.It was causing some pain, due to it's loose condition. It is amazing how little things, like that, can make you happy while on the trail.
Date: 2010-06-29
From: Carlo Col Shelter

To: Grafton Notch, ME26
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: few clouds

It was a nice day, except for a morning heavy rain shower. Sweeper and I completed hard climbs up Mt Carlo, Goose Eye Mtn (both peaks), Fulling Mill Mtn, Mahoosuc Arm Mtn and Old Speck Mtn. It took us 7 hours to hike the first 7 miles, which is very slow, but included the one mile section of giant boulders known as "The Most Difficult Mile on the AT" (which took 1 hour and 50 minutes). The descent to Grafton Notch was pretty easy. Grafton Notch is the White Mtn's northern boundary. The White's have been very hard, resulting in slow hiking and low mileage days. We are staying at the Mahoosuc Lodge (hostel), which is very nice.
Date: 2010-06-30
From: Grafton Notch, ME26

To: South Arm Rd, Andover, ME
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Sweeper decided to slow down for a while, thus I was hiking solo today. The climb up Baldpate and Moody Mountains was kind of tough, but otherwise today's hike was a lot easier than the hikes through the White's. I was planning to stop after 16 miles, at the Hall Mountain Shelter, but I arrived early, around 5 pm, so I decided to continue to the next road, where I caught the shuttle to the Pine Ellis Hostel. Today I saw 2 moose, they ran down the hill to the trail and ran quickly over the hill, it happened so fast that I didn't have a chance to take a picture. The hostel has a computer, but it doesn't have the proper software to allow me to download pictures. At this rate, I will probably have to wait until the end of my thru-hike to be able to download any of my pictures (since Vermont). I had to purchase a plane ticket, before the prices went up, so I bought one for July 13th, which will require a Katahdin summit on July 12th. If needed, I can change the flight, if a seat is available on the new flight, with an additional fee.
Date: 2010-07-01
From: South Arm Rd, Andover, ME

To: Sabbath Day Pond Shelter
Miles today: 17.0

I started with a long climb up Old Blue Mtn 2400', which wasn't too hard. It started to rain, on and off, (forecast said sunny). It turned into a hard dayn due to wet rocks. I was slowly descending a large rock slab, when I fell, landing on my elbow, which hurt quite a bit. Everything is OK now, just a little sore. But to add to the bad day, I saw a big snake (#15) less than one minute after my fall. I had not seen any snakes for 3 or 4 weeks. SOBOs have been telling me to expect to see a lot of snakes in Maine. I was planning to continue another 5 miles to a campsite, but decided to stop, at the shelter, due to the rain showers.
Date: 2010-07-02
From: Sabbath Day Pond Shelter

To: Poplar Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 20.1

It was an easy morning, with mostly flat terrain. This afternoon had three climbs, Saddleback Mtn, The Horn, and Saddleback Junior. Arrived at the shelter about 6:15, which is early for me, no one else is here yet. Tomorrow I will stop in Sratton, ME, to resupply.
Date: 2010-07-03
From: Poplar Ridge Shelter

To: Stratton, ME, Rte 27
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Today the weather was pretty good, with some light rain showers in the morning, then sunny and hot the rest of the day. My first climb of the day was Lone Mountain, followed by the shoulder crest climb of Spaulding Mtn, then Sugarloaf Mtn (not the summit), and finally both South and North Crocker Mountains. After all of that climbing, and descending, I started a gradual descent to ME route 27, where I hitchhiked into town, to resupply. I am staying at the Stratton Motel. I was able to update my photos, which took a long time, at the expense of some of my sleep time. This is probably the last time that I will be able to download photos, until the completion of my thru-hike (hopefully July 12th). Also, today I saw another moose, which didn't run away as fast as the previous two, but was too fast to get a photo of it.
Date: 2010-07-04
From: Stratton. ME, ME 27

To: Pierce Pond Shelter
Miles today: 32.6
Weather: few clouds

Today I climbed the Bigelow Mtns, including the West Peak, Avery Peak, and Little Bigelow. Avery Peak was the AT's last 4000+ climb (except for Katahdin, which is the AT's northern terminus). I hiked from 7:30 am to 11:30 pm, including the last 7 miles by headlamp. I did the long day so I could catch the morning AT's Kennebec River Ferry, which only operates from 9 am to 11 am, otherwise I would have been sitting around for half a day, waiting until the next day's ferry.
Date: 2010-07-05
From: Pierce Pond Shelter

To: Moxie Bald Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 22.8

Normally I make a mental note about where the shelter side trail is in relation to the AT, but since it was 11:30 PM, when I arrived last night, I forgot, thus since things look different at night, i departed this morning heading the wrong direction. It took me about half a mile to realize my mistake. I would have been very upset if my mistake made me miss the morning ferry, which only operates from 9 am to 11 am. The AT's Kennebec River Ferry consists of a guy and his canoe, it seems to work pretty well. There wasn't a snack bar, on this ferry, which would have been nice. I made two short climbs, Pleasant Pond Mtn and Moxie Bald Mtn. The descent of Pleasant Pond Mtn was up and down small hills for almost five miles, I didn't think it would ever end.
Date: 2010-07-06
From: Moxie Bald Mtn Shelter

To: Monson, ME, Rte 15
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: clear sky

Today's hike would have been pretty easy, except for the high heat (90's) and humidity. I am staying at the Lake Shore House, where I have resupplied. Tomorrow I will enter the 100 mile wilderness tomorrow and will probably do a small resupply at The White House Landing Wilderness Camp (Thurs or Fri), and summit Katahdin (the final AT mountain, and my finishing spot) on July 12th, or a slight chance of finishing July 11th.
Date: 2010-07-07
From: Monson, ME, Rte 15

To: Stream Campsite Mile 2087.9
Miles today: 23.3

I got a late start, which is normal for me when I leave a trail town (7:30 am). Entering the "100 Mile Wilderness" the trail had some short, but rocky, climbs, which resulted in slow hiking. I climbed up Barren ledges, Barren Mtn, and Fourth Mtn.
Date: 2010-07-08
From: Stream Campsite Mile 2087.9

To: East Branch Shelter
Miles today: 23.4

I got off to a slow start, due to the rocky terrain. Actually I made better time when climbing Gulf Hagus Mtn, west Peak, Hay Mtn, and White Cap Mtn, since they were not as rocky, as the trail before them. I stopped at the Logan Brook Shelter to get water and a bite, that's a dog bite. A trail maintainer, from Canada, had his dog tied to the shelter, but when I arrived, it broke free and bite my lower leg, just enough to to make it bleed, for a while. The dog was probably dreaming about food, thus, when I showed up, it probably thought that my leg was a turkey drumstick. The owner said the dog had all of it's shots and I told him that I also had all of mine (I received updated immunization shots before my AT hike). I have crossed paths with at least 100 dogs, on the AT, and probably 15 of them were thru hiking dogs. This was my first negative dog experience. I continued to the next shelter, for the night, and tented. I tented to avoid the biting flies, which have been terrible throughout Maine, they even bite me through my ballcap.
Date: 2010-07-09
From: East Branch Shelter

To: Wadleigh Stream Shelter
Miles today: 29.6

Today was an easy day, due to the terrain. I stopped at the White House Landing Boat Dock, where you signal, with an airhorn, and the owner picks you up in a boat. He takes you across the lake (a short ride) to his campstore/bunkhouse, etc. It was not a good experience. I discovered that since I was not staying overnight, in his bunkhouse, (I just wanted to resupply), that he insisted that I immediatly return to the other side of the lake. I spent $30 dollars, on supplies, including a $2 boat fee, yet he wouldn't let me sit at the picnic table long enough to drink my soda and eat my brownie, both of which I just purchased from him. I stopped at the Wadleigh Stream Shelter, with 5 SOBOs. I tented, due to the numerous big nasty biting flies, which will not leave me alone, even with huge amounts of bug repellent applied. The locals say that the moose sometimes run out into traffic, on the roads, in an attempt to escape the flies. I now believe that the moose are simply committing suicide, by car, to end the fly imposed torture.
Date: 2010-07-10
From: Wadleigh Stream Shelter

To: The Birches Shelter, Baxter State Park
Miles today: 33.0

I started hiking at 3:45 am, by headlamp. the trail was easy, resulting in a fast hike. I stopped at the Abol Campground Store, for a late lunch. I arrived at the Katahdin Stream Campground (Baxter State Park)at 6:15 pm, and checked in with the ranger station. They said that I was the 25th NOBO thru hiker, this year. The normal AT thru hiker shelters were being used by trail maintainers, so I was directed to a very small shelter (shelter B) along with 2 other hikers (a Flip-Flopper and a SOBO). I am gald that there were only 3 of us, because it would have been very tight with more than 3 people in that shelter.
Date: 2010-07-11
From: The Birches Shelter, Baxter State Park

To: Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: broken clouds

I had trouble sleeping, due to excitement (about being finished), and also due to shelter snoring. I finally got up at 3 am, and started my hike a little after 4 am, hiking by headlamp for approx 30 minutes. The climb up to The Tableland had some difficult boulder climbs, otherwise I made pretty good time. I arrived, at the Katahdin summit at approx 7:15 am. Katahdin's summit is the northern terminus of the AT (my trip ending point), it's within the Baxter State Park (Baxter Peak). I was the only person on the top of the mountain. I tied to take a picture, of myself, in front of the Katahdin sign, with limited success. A few minutes later, a group of kids, along with their counselors, arrived, via another trail. They were nice enough to take some pictures, of me, for me. I started down the mountain and saw "Almost There" on his ascent. I had been following him, for months, on the way to Katahdin, I knew about him because he usually writes something in the shelter register books. After descending Katahdin, I hitch-hiked to Millinocket where I took a shuttle, from the AT Lodge, to a hotel located near the Bangor Airport. I fly home tomorrow, and head to the beach Tuesday, for the second half of my annual beach week, with 100+ of my closest friends. I will add some overall comments, in a few days, after I get some rest. Thanks for everyone's support.
Date: 2010-07-12
From: Katahdin

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It's July 22nd and I'm home, after my beach rest vacation and family visit. It was great to, once again, see all of my beach friends and family. It is very nice to be able to eat regular food, whenever I want. My feet are still pretty sore and about a half size bigger, they probably would have flattened out more if I had not used my orthotic shoe inserts. There are a few AT things that I won't miss, such as those evil little Penn. rocks (ankle turners), the torturous Maine biting flies, and the trail food (I still can't look at peanut butter, oatmeal, or candy bars, at least not yet). There are a lot of things that I will miss, such as the scenary, the trail towns, and most importantly the people that I meant along the way, esp. the thru hikers: Charlie Brown, C-Biscuit, Bloodhound, Bud & Delilah, Cookie Monster, Snowhite, Mouse, etc., the trail angels: Collin & Margie, Joe & Sarah, Slick & Tom (& his family), and the random trail magic providers (they provided a great emotional boost, usually when it was needed the most), the trailtown people, such as Ron Haven, in Franklin, NC, Uncle Johnny, Hattie, etc., Dennis & Sue and Joe & Matt for keeping an eye on my house and picking me up, and dropping me off, at Harpers Ferry and the airport (numerous times), my sister for keeping me up todate on home front issues, to everyone from: ZDC, Leesburg Vol. Fire Co., and my college/beach group for their support, and finally to PB (trailname Babe) who was my most enthusiastic supporter.
Date: 2009-12-28
To: So, the Conversation Goes Something Like This...
Miles today: 0.0

You're what?Me: I'm planning a thru hike of the Applachian trail this year.Them: (pause) How long will that take you?Me: About six months.Them: (pause - look of confusion)Me: It's about 2175 miles from Georgia to Maine.Them: (pause) Good grief; that's a long way. Are you going with a group?Me: No.Them: Aren't you going with someone else?Me: No. From time to time, friends plan to join me for a couple days, but no; I'm going by myself. Besides, there'll be plenty of others doing the same thing. I won't be alone.Them: (pause) Are you taking a gun?Me: No.Them: I'd take a gun if I were you.Me: Too heavy. Don't want to carry it.That's ususally where the conversations end; with a perplexed look on their faces.
Date: 2010-01-08
To: What?
Miles today: 0.0

For those of you reading an AT trail journal for the first time: What is the Appalachian Trail?Simply put, it is a continuous footpath from Georgia to Maine. Right now, it's about 2176 miles from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. The exact mileage can change from year to year, depending on trail relocations in certain sections. It passes through 14 states: Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.The Appalachian National Scenic Trail (Appalachian Trail, or just AT) falls under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, and is managed by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), located not too far from me in Harpers Ferry, WV. Most of those maintaining the trail do so on a volunteer basis. A thru hike is generally considered the completion of the entire trail in one continuous trip.I¢m not sure of the numbers who attempt a thru hike annually, but over 80% hike from south to north, beginning as early as January, and as late as April or May. Southbound thru hikers generally start in early summer from Katahdin. It generally takes a thru hiker five to seven months to complete.About 25% of thru hikers actually manage to finish their hikes. The most common reasons the other 75% get off the trail are injuries, boredom, inadequate preparation or equipment, financial, and family reasons; or just biting off more than they can chew. I don¢t even want to think about not completing the trail.ATC figures for 2009 reflect that 1425 northbound hikers started at Springer Mountain, and 307 finished at Katahdin. About half of the thru hikers who started at Springer Mountain made it to Harpers Ferry, considered the halfway point. It should be noted that those figures reflect only the hikers who checked in with the ATC.
Date: 2010-01-14
To: Congratulation, you've been accepted!!
Miles today: 0.0

That's how the letter started out. I finally found a copy of the AT thru hiker application online. It wasn't easy to find, but I managed to get it in before they filled all the vacancies.Anyway, I completed it in triplicate, and submitted it to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Today, I received a letter in the mail informing me that I have been accepted, and will be permitted to thru hike the AT this year. So, I guess there¢s no turning back now.For those of you who have not yet filed your application, I¢ve attached a copy of mine. Just complete the following questions and submit it to the ATC. Turnaround is about 2 weeks, but I¢m told spaces are filling up fast, so do not delay. NAME: KingKrawlerAGE: Not old enough to get the free coffee at McDonalds yet, but getting closeCurrent Employer: Federal governmentHow long employed: Umm, something like 36 years Reason for leaving: Retirement (second one, but that¢s a long, confusing story)Experience for this position: Absolutely none: except for the one-night shakedown hike in the mountains of Middle Tennessee over Christmas.Reason for applying for this position: Well, it sounds like fun.References: NedtheFed and Tagless, both of whom hiked the AT last year.That¢s all there was to it. Send it off, and sit back and wait.Seriously, I would like to publicly thank NedtheFed and Tagless, who have willingly answered all my questions, and provided me with many great suggestions and ideas. Thanks guys!
Date: 2010-02-01
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

One of the questions I am frequently asked is, ¢WHY?¢ Good question. I¢m not sure I have a good answer. I have no previous backpacking experience. I was in the Boy Scouts for a couple years, and while we did camp, we never backpacked. And, I¢ve car camped and camped on unsupported bicycle trips before. But no backpacking.The seed must have been planted 15 or so years ago, when I picked up a book written about an AT thru hike. In the following years, I read several such books, and about four years ago, I started reading Trail Journal entries.   Sometime after that, I decided it was something I wanted to do.Many years ago, a similar thing happened after reading articles submitted by a Washington Post reporter as he bicycled across the country. I was amazed that anyone would even attempt such a thing. The following summer, I bought a bike, quit my job, and headed across the country on it. Three months later, I ended up on the West Coast.So, I¢m not sure why. I know that at times it will be interesting, fun, even exciting. At other times I expect it to be challenging, boring, cold, hot, wet, all that. I¢m looking forward to it all.
Date: 2010-02-02
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Okay, in preparation for my thru hike, I did a shakedown hike over the Christmas holidays in Stone Door State Park in Middle Tennessee. Here¢s a summary of my trip: ¢¢ I started hiking the three miles to the campsite at about 2pm. Got there in just under an hour. It was a flat trail.¢¢ Set up my small one-man tent.¢¢ Since I knew it would get dark about 4:30pm (Eastern edge of the Central Time Zone), I decided to fire up my alcohol stove and cook that good old Ramen dinner.¢¢ Couldn't figure how to get the stove going.¢¢ Built a fire and boiled my water over the coals.¢¢ In the meantime, I gathered up more firewood. Everything was wet but splashing some alcohol on the fire helped, and I actually got a nice fire going.¢¢ Ate my yummy Ramen and drank a liter of Gatorade (a big mistake).¢¢ Hung my food bag from a tree limb to keep the bears away from it (and me).¢¢ By 5pm, it was cold - and dark. And, I was out of firewood.¢¢ Figured I might as well climb into my tent and listen to my iPod.¢¢ Battery dead. (I later figured out that the battery was not dead - it was just too cold for it to operate). Okay, now I know I could have gotten it working by warming it up in my sleeping bag for awhile.¢¢ Lay there until I fell asleep about 9pm.¢¢ Right after I fell asleep, I heard the most God awful yeowl in the woods. And not too far away from me either. It sounded like some kind of cat. I don¢t know whether there are bobcats up there, but it was not a coyote or any other animal I have heard in the woods.¢¢ I finally got back to sleep.¢¢ Between then and about 7am when I got up, I had to get up four times during the night to relieve myself of the Gatorade. Zip out of sleeping bag, zip out of tent, put my shoes on, and relieve myself while standing outside in my long underwear. It was COLD. Four times!¢¢ Finally got up, ate some crackers and my Snickers bar for breakfast, since I had no fire or stove to make my oatmeal, and set off.¢¢ Completed the loop hike with another 5.5 miles.¢¢ Got home and read up on the internet how to start my stove. Got it working in the backyard.As a result of my first shakedown, I returned the tent to REI and ordered a larger one-man tarp tent from another vendor. Bigger but lighter (and more expensive, too).I'm planning to do one more sometime this month.
Date: 2010-02-21
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Now that we've managed to dig ourselves out of our snowmaggeden here in the DC Area, it's time to take a look at my preparation status. My wife and I will drive down to Amicalola State Park on March 13 where we've got a cabin rented. We may drop by Mountain Crossings at Needs Gap on Sunday to pick up any last minute items and to have them look at my pack fit and contents.Then on Monday, March 15 I take the first of 5 million steps on my way to Mt. Katahdin in Maine. I'm on the home stretch with my gear. I still need to pick up a couple of small items, but I'm feeling pretty comfortable with the state of my equipment. I finally finished seam sealing my tarptent. I had to set it up in my garage because of all the snow on the ground outside. I also cut a ground cloth out of tyvek if I decide to carry it. I'm still researching my food choices. Looking for nutritious meals that are easy to prepare with boiling water. I suspect that at some point up north, I¢ll get rid of my stove altogether, but while it¢s cold, l want hot food for breakfast and dinner. I've planned my final shakedown hike on the Massanutten Trail with a friend next week, so that should be interesting. The trail is in the George Washington National Forest about 1 1/2 hours west of DC. I'll report on how that works out after I get back.