morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-09-24
From: 100 mile wilderness Logan Brook Lean-to

To: 100 mile wilderness Cooper Brookfalls Lean-to
Miles today: 11.7

RW Means: Resting in WildernessOnly 59.7 miles to go.It was a rather cold night but not nearly as cold as a few days ago, only in the low 40s last night. We all got up early. Loon was cooking his breakfast when he knocked over his stove and the flaming alcohol spilled and spread into the shelter causing a considerable fire. Loon tried to blow out the fire, but this just spread the alcohol and fire further into the shelter approaching Indy who continued to sleep despite the commotion. Loon kept his cool and started to use his pot lid to douse out the fire and other non-combustible items. Soon the fire was out and no damage to the shelter was evident and nobody was hurt. Indy never stirred.At 7:20 I hit the trail and immediately made good time. The trail was all downhill and had minimum roots and rocks. It was nearly a racetrack. One easy rock-hop ford across shallow water. Didn't even slow me down today. As I hiked I ran into Gus, who I thought was an old man but was my age. He walked very slow, carried a heavy pack and wore lots of warm clothing. During our conversation I learned that this was his 8th day in the Wilderness and he was worried about his food situation. He had also thru-hiked the trail before. Furthermore, he proudly told me that he recently purchased his first home in very rural Maine for $13,000 and he was celebrating the purchase with this hike.My phone worked well this morning and I took several marvelous pictures, but before lunch it died again and it wouldn't work again until evening. I enjoyed the hiking today. Besides a great trail, the fall colors continue to grow in splendor. At times the leaves seem iridescent. The sun was warm and sky cloudless. What a great day to be in the woods hiking. By 2:00 I arrived at our agreed upon rendezvous location. No one was there but me so I chose the best campsite, washed clothing, waded and washed in the stream and just layed in the sun for a few hours. I laid the camera/phone in the sun hoping it would dry and fix itself. It did, but not until evening.   About 5:30 Hopper and Bismarck arrived and told me of the magnificent view of Katahdin on White Cap Mountain this morning. Darn trail yesterday wouldn't let me see that view.After it got dark, Gus hiked in and set-up in the shelter. He said he had about 3 days of food left and he worried that he was too slow to walk out of the wilderness in 3 days. It had taken him 8 days to hike what we hiked in 4 days. Hopper and Bismarck gave him their two emergency candy bars. I had one pack of Ramen Noodles that I carried for emergency purposes left, but no other food. I didn't share my last food and emergency ration, but I should have given it to him, that is why I carry it. I don't know why I didn't, but I was wrong to not give him the food. After all, I had a food cache waiting for me the next morning.
Date: 2014-09-25
From: 100 mile wilderness Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to

To: 100 mile wilderness Nahmakanta Stream Campsite
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: broken clouds

RW Means: Ramen Weight. I was still carrying my emergency Ramen Noodles.44 miles to go.The night was nice and fairly warm. We got up early and the three of us left before 7:00. Gus was sleeping soundly when we left. We hiked 3.7 miles in just a little more than an hour and got our cache food. We each had a bucket of food that we paid a hostel to hide in the woods for us. I also had Nubbins' food drop, so I resealed the bucket and left it hidden in the woods. We found other buckets already open and a few candy bars left behind. We grabbed them and left a note at the bridge for Gus to take the candy bars. We all then packed up our food and headed out. The trail was smooth but still had some rocks and roots. We walked along lakes, and ponds, and streams all day. At Pemadumcook Lake, I saw Katahdin looming up over the horizon for the first time. It look huge and imposing. The gray brown of Katahdin provided a perfect backdrop for the cherry reds of the maples and golden yellows of the birch trees in the foreground across the deep blue lake and clear sky. The mountain was awesome and inspiring. We took long breaks looking at the mountain. Knowing that I had to hike approximately another 40 miles just to get to its base drove home just how tall this mountain was compared to everything around it. I am so lucky. This part of the trail is low ground and if it had been raining, I would be walking through bogs. The long bog-log bridges are frequently under water after rain in this section of the trail, so I am told. The trees here are also larger and many Cedar trees grow here. I haven't noticed Cedar trees before on the trail in such a large concentration as here. The lakes were wonderful and we ate lunch on a beach on Jo Mary Lake. In the afternoon there was one river ford, but again low water made it a rock hop.That night I learned from Loon that Tomo is somewhat of a celebrity in Japan. He is famous for bringing ultra-light backpacking to the country and is a well known Japanese international hiker. Tomo owns his own outfitter store in Tokyo called Gear Depot, and was hiking in his personally designed down jacket and had his own designs for hammock accessories.
Date: 2014-09-26
From: 100 mile wilderness Nahmakanta Stream Campsite

To: 100 wilderness Rainbow Lake Campsite
Miles today: 17.7

RW Means: Rainbows in the wilderness26 miles to go.Last night was warm and my winter gear proved to be too much so I just used my sleeping bag as a blanket. We got up early with full intention of doing a big mile day. We left before 7:00. The trail was generally smooth, but there were some slight ups and downs and lots of roots and rocks to trip over. We enjoyed the warm weather and fantastic fall colors that just keep getting better every day. I took some pictures, but my camera/phone continued to only work when it wanted to and not on my demand. It was driving me crazy every time I wanted to take a picture and not knowing if the camera would work or not.As the day progressed we climbed Mount Nesuntabunt, about a 700 foot climb, and again saw Katahdin. Guide said it is a 16 mile line-of-sight view of the mountain. It looked so close and big. As we hiked we enjoyed the fall colors and hiked up a gorge full of waterfalls. We ate at a lake side beach and had a wonderful hiking day. Hopper arrived at the Rainbow Lake Campsite first, then me, and later Bismarck. I have a small 2 man tent and quickly found a nice tent site next to the lake. Bismarck and Hopper have a very large two person tent and couldn't find any level place to pitch their tent. After a few minutes discussion, they decided to hike on and find some place along the trail to camp. I decided to stay put and let them know I would catch up to them tomorrow. Soon, Loon and Tomo arrived and pitched their hammock and tarp next to me. I ate most of my remaining food and sat by Rainbow Lake listening to the Loons and enjoyed the sunset. The campsite was full with thru-hikers, many I knew. We all enjoyed the warm night and great campsite. After sunset, a group of 6 thru-hikers arrived hiking by headlamp. There was no place to camp, so they just laid their sleeping bags on the trail for the night and slept in the open. Tomo, Loon, and I built a nice fire and chatted for quite some time until the fire died. Night came early and it was only 9:00 when we were all in our sleeping bags. In the middle of the night I got up and went to the lake to view the stars. The night was crystal clear and the sky was crowded with stars. The Milky Way shown across the heavens like white wisps of smoke across the star-studded background. I just looked at it for a long time before going back to my tent.
Date: 2014-09-27
From: 100 mile wilderness Rainbow Lake Campsite

To: Abol Bridge
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: overcast clouds

RW Means: Really about the Wife.15.1 miles to go.Last night was a very warm night, but it wasn't the weather that prevented me from sleeping well, it was because this was my last night in the Wilderness and last night in a tent. My time in the woods and trail was coming to an end. I got up about 4:45 and started to pack. Loon and Tomo also got up. I was on the trail by 5:50 and had to use my headlamp to see. Only some powerbars, and miscellaneous food was left. The morning was very quiet and I needed to be careful leaving the campsite to avoid stepping on the hikers who were sleeping on the trail. I hiked quickly with my light pack and looked for Hopper and Bismarck. I hoped they didn't hike far, at least no farther than the next stream. I didn't find them anywhere. I listened intently and called out several times at places I thought they might have chosen for a campsite. No reply. I hiked on. Soon I came to a nice view of Mt. Katahdin, and my camera/phone worked fine. I hiked on, now hurrying and thinking Hopper and Bismarck must have left early or hiked farther than I presumed. I was sure I would catch them before the Hurd Brook Lean-to. The trail was fast and easy. The forest floor totally blanketed with moss in many places. I didn't find them at the Hurd Brook Lean-to and they hadn't signed the trail log.   I WAS AHEAD OF THEM!!!!I left a message in the log for them and headed out. I crossed a long bog-log bridge over a dried up bog and then popped out of the wilderness on to the Golden Rd. A short walk later I was asking for a table at the Abol Bridge Restaurant. As I was being shown a table, Cathy pulled up in the truck. What great timing and what a sight to see her again after so many months! While I was being shown a table I spoke with another thru-hiker, Bikini. It turns out he left the same day from Springer Mountain, GA as I did on March 18th, and this is the first time we ever ran into each other. Unbelievable! Soon Hopper and Bismarck arrived and then Loon and Tomo. Bismarck and Hopper had hiked about 1 mile more and then found a nice beach to camp at on Rainbow Lake. I introduced everyone to Cathy and we had a wonderful lunch. We learned that the restaurant was only open one more day before closing for the season. We worried that Nubbins and Journeyman wouldn't make it to the restaurant before it closed. We didn't know how far behind us they were. While at the restaurant we learned Gus was only one day behind us and he had enough food to make it out of the wilderness. What a bucket full of good news. Then we headed to Millinocket to a motel. Loon and Tomo decided to continue to hike to the base of Katahdin. They were going to climb it tomorrow.
Date: 2014-09-28
From: Abol Bridge

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

RW Means: Rosy Weather   Fantastic weather today!Hopper, Bismarck, Cathy and I went to church in the morning and then headed to the trail to hike the last few miles to the base of Katahdin. We slack packed, and I used the new camera Cathy purchased since my phone/camera was still unreliable. We started about 10:00. The trail was smooth and fast. The fall colors were remarkable and just beyond anything I recall seeing in Illinois. The day was warm and cloudless. I wished I was climbing Katahdin today because the weather forecast for tomorrow is cloudy with rain in the afternoon. I may delay my climb until Wednesday, but only if the weather is really dangerous. We hiked along the Penobscot River for hours. The flowing water reflected the trees and provided the pleasant sound of flowing water to a beautiful day. The walk was literally a walk in the park. The trail was dry and the roots and rocks few. We stopped frequently to take pictures and enjoyed the numerous waterfalls. There were two river fords, but consistent with the last week, the water was low and the crossings were easy rock hops. Just before the Katahdin Stream Campground I got my last trail magic. There in the woods only 0.1 miles from the campground was a 12 pack of root beer and bags of donuts. Ending with trail magic was so special. I didn't have much trail magic the last 300 miles. While in the campground I met Indy, Tomo, Loon, and Cat who were finishing the last few steps from their climbs of Katahdin. They had a fabulous day to climb with remarkable views. We celebrated and I congratulated them. They had the largest and broadest smiles on their faces. We said good-bye. All were heading home as soon as possible.We went back to town and had a nice dinner. I went to bed early intent on summiting tomorrow.
Date: 2014-09-29
From: The Birches Campsite

To: Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: light rain

RW Means: Retired Walker Today I climbed Mt. Katahdin. It was 5.2 miles up and 5.2 miles back down. Of course the down miles don't count because the trail ends at the top, not the bottom. Hopper and Bismarck decided not to climb today because of the poor weather forecast. I decided to climb because I wasn't climbing to see a great view, but to complete the adventure of a lifetime, and weather - good and bad - is part of that adventure. I don't mind bad weather that much although I do tire of it, and frequently I find it more interesting than good weather. Besides, I am that guy that arrives at a shelter 10 minutes after the rain starts instead of the guy that makes it before it rains.Today we left the motel at 5:00, got a drive-thru breakfast and headed to the base of the mountain. By 6:00 we were at Baxter State Park, and by 6:30 I was at the Birches Campsite where I stopped hiking yesterday. I started immediately to climb the mountain. I had to climb 4,162 feet to the top of Katahdin which is 5,268 feet tall and the longest single climb of the trail. I only carried essentials for the hike, so my pack was light. I climbed steady and soon I was above treeline and in the clouds. I couldn't see the summit or much else. By 9:00 the temperature was noticeably colder as I continued to climb and the clouds continued to thicken as the trail steepened and became a hand-over-hand boulder climb along a narrow section of the trail. At 9:45 a.m., I summited and took pictures in the clouds. How ironic, I started Springer Mountain in the clouds, and now I complete my hike, more than six months later, in the clouds. A four season hike. I started in winter and end in the fall. I was the 4th person to arrive this morning. The other 3 left quickly and I had the summit to myself for awhile. After about 15 minutes of alone time at the summit, I started down and was back at the campground by 1:30 p.m. I registered that I completed my thru-hike and was logged as the 694 person to thru-hike this year. Then to town, and enjoy a great meal.At the campground I ran into Journeyman and Nubbins setting up camp. They planned to summit on October 1, weather permitting.
Date: 2015-01-07
To: Wrap up
Miles today: 0.0

Happy New Year everyone! One of my hiking objectives was to raise funds for the Illinois State Museum, specifically, its Lockport Art Gallery.   Call 815-838-7400 or send donations to - 201 W 10th St # 1W, Lockport, IL 60441, and mention R.W. The hike raised over $4,000 by the end of October 2014, and funds are still arriving. On March 8, 2015, I will give an afternoon presentation about the Appalachian Trail and exhibit selected photos at the Lockport Gallery. The response to my trail journal is overwhelming. So much, that, with the help of the Illinois State Museum, I am turning my trail journal into a book. A percentage of the royalties will be pledged to the museum. Physical Condition:Feeling good. The Achilles Tendons are healing gradually and after three months hurt only in the morning. All my other aches and pains are gone.Cost of my hike: $14,800. This cost includes many expenses not entirely trail-related. It includes the cost of my wife driving me to Springer Mountain, staying there a week and returning home; the cost of my son hiking with me; a one week visit by my wife during the hike; cost to come home and fly back in July, and the full cost of ten days for my wife to drive to Maine, pick me up, and slowing work our way back home. The actual trail-related cost of my hike is about $10,000 or $4.58 per mile. This is higher than the ATC suggests. The ATC figures $1,000 per month, about $7,000 or $3.20 per mile in my case, and more if you stay in motels and eat in restaurants. The ATC doesn't take travel costs into account to get to the start or for returning home, and doesn't consider any medical costs. Also not included by the ATC is the cost of equipment, which is several thousand dollars. The cost of replacing equipment on the trail can be expensive. I replaced a backpack, water filtering system, clothing, and trekking pole repairs. I purchased five pairs of boots. A great many hikers I met purchased new packs, sleeping bags, tents, and many other pieces of expensive equipment during their hike either because they found their equipment unsatisfactory after several months on the trail and/or the equipment broke. My cost also increased because injuries required me to come back to Chicago and seek medical attention and then get back to the trail. I think the average hiker should plan on some motel and nice dinners in town, medical expenses, major equipment replacements and the unexpected, so $1,000 a month seems a bit low.  You can do it for less, but you probably won't like it. I think the average hiker spends more than $1,000 per month when you add the cost for travel to and from the trail and those pesky medical bills. If you were home and not hiking, ask yourself this - "Do I spend $1,000 per month to live?" You probably spend more, so this is still cheap living and you get a lot for the experience.
Date: 2015-03-18
To: One Year Ago
Miles today: 0.0

One year ago I started my 2014 thru-hike with high expectation and trepidation. Although I backpacked many times before, I hadn't attempted anything on this scale. I wanted a challenge, one where success was far from assured. It was cold and foggy that first day and I hiked with my buddy, Freedom. Everyday I learned about the trail, myself, and the AT community. Looking back one year later I realize I accomplished more than I thought possible and I am still realizing how much the trail changed me. Today, I am so much happier and contented, and have found friends that I hope to keep for a life time.I read some of the class of 2015 trail journals with amusement and envy. I am amused that so many journals discuss the same trials and tribulations I experienced at the beginning. These first weeks are exciting and difficult. Everything is new and experienced for the first time. I often think, if I did it again, what would be the feelings of a veteran thru-hiker in the midst of the novices? I may try it one day. For now, I am still physically recovering from my 2014 thru-hike. My body took a beating greater than I thought, and only now am I feeling closer to fully-recovered. My Achilles still hurt in the morning and the knees hurt walking down hill. It will likely take a few more months to completely recover. During my hike I developed a gum disease, even though I brushed my teeth twice a day. Yesterday, the dentist pulled four teeth related to the damage, and I am still battling the disease. I have more gum surgery in the future.As for other issues, I am closely following several hikers attempting to thru-hike the American Discovery Trail. They will pass close to my house in Illinois. I hope to provide trail magic to each of them when they get near. It is a way of returning the incredible trail magic I received during my own hike.In 2014 I didn't attend Trail Days in Damascus, VA. but I hope to attend this year.
Date: 2015-05-04
To: Trail Days
Miles today: 0.0

RW means: Rare Writing Over the winter I wrote a book about my 2014 thru-hike. The manuscript is finished and I am contacting publishers. Even if the book is never published, I can give the manuscript to my grandchildren. They are too young to appreciate my journey, but one day they will read it and know what their grandfather accomplished. Hopefully they will want to do a thru-hike themselves. If you met me in 2014, please contact me by email at the address provided at this site. You may be included in the book and I would like your input before publishing to clear up any legal issues that a publisher considers necessary.I will be attending Trail Days this year, and likely, traveling with Journeyman.   Shortly after Journeyman completed his 2014 thru-hike, he started to limp due to a pinched nerve. He is still undergoing physical therapy. As for me, my Achilles remain sore and my left knee hurts when walking down hill. We both anticipate a full recovery by the end of the summer and plan to hike together on the PCT next year. While at Trail Days, I will shop for more, improved gear. In particular, I want two new cooking systems. I like alcohol stoves, so I hope to purchase a chimney stove. But alcohol stoves are not allowed on large sections of the PCT due to the drought, so I will also purchase a canister stove.   My base summer weight is now 13 pounds and I hope to get that under 10 pounds for the PCT.See you at Trail Days! Look me up.
Date: 2015-05-19
To: Trail Days
Miles today: 0.0

RW means: Rowdy Week. What a great time at Trail Days! I recommend it, but maybe not during your hike. Every night is a very late night and the days are exhausting, but fun. Free equipment and food. Great entertainment. I needed to rest for two days when I got home.I saw many 2014 thru-hikers, and it was great to see you all again! I purchased the Hyperlight Hennessy Hammock system and slept in it for two nights while in Damascus. It is very comfortable.
Date: 2016-03-18
To: Book
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

RW means Reading WistfullyOn March 18, 2014, I started my thru-hike on a cold and foggy day. Two years later, and the book about my thru-hike is now published. The Green Tunnel, A Hiker's Appalachian Trail Diary. I have the A.T. to thank for both an incredible hiking experience and the chance to realize another dream, write a book. The book can be purchased at www.appalachiantraildiary.com/ and Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.comTo my readers, please enjoy.RW
Date: 2017-03-18
To: 2017 3 Year Anniversary
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Three years ago today I started my thru-hike. The weather was cool and fog obscured my view in the morning. The trail was muddy from several days of rain and I started out with Freedom. Freedom and I have been friends ever since. In fact, many that I met on the hike are now and will be forever friends. The trail community gave me more than I can return and changed my life forever. There isn't a day that I don't recall my journey, which evolved into a pilgrimage.I was so moved by my experience I wrote and published the book "The Green Tunnel, A Hiker's Appalachian Trail Diary". Several of my photos are now on display at the Illinois State Museum. I am blessed to have known such great trail angles at Baltimore Jack and Miss Janet. My life is now busy with library and hiking club talks about the Appalachian Trail and my health is now remarkable.This was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Anyone reading this and contemplating a thru-hike. Do it. Don't wait, just do it. It will change your life for the better just by trying.Good luck to all.