morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-08-31
From: Crocker Cirque Compsite

To: Horns Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: scattered clouds

We were the only ones at the campsite last hight so it was a quiet night. However, the full moon kept Limestone awake and thinking it was time to get up.We got an earlier than usual start as we needed to be at Rd 27 to meet Brian for lunch. We were actually a bit early, but it was ok. Brian arrived with cold soda's, beer, home made woopie pies from Kathy--many thanks, and our re-supply box.We made a quick trip to the restaurant and then back to the treail to continue north. Thanks Brian for all the help.We ended the day with a 5 mile climb up to the beginning of the Bigelow Mountains. This is the last significant mountain range to climb before we reach Katahdin. The hurricane is suppose to roll thru here on Thursday so we may need to adjust our hiking plans...we'll see in a couple days.We saw saw another moose just before we crawled into our tent. The moose goes along with the 5 or 6 toads we counted along the trail.
Date: 2010-09-01
From: Horns Pond Lean-to

To: Flagstaff Lake
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: few clouds

Moose were around camp all night. They kept us awake with all the thrashing around, crashing thru the brush and endless grunts. Rut season is approaching.It started out a nice day as we hiked over the tough ground, but soon it was hot, just like yesterday. It is challenging to hike when the temperature is in the 80's and 90's and the humidity is very high. Maine is having a heat wave. With all the heat and no rain, water has become an issue--again. We have been forced to collect pond water which has a brown color and nasty smell. Hope the aqua mira holds out as we have substantially increased the dosage.We passed the 2,000 mile mark today, just 179 left to go.We stopped at Flagstaff Lake for a swim and stayed the night. We are camping in a new campsite that has not been included in any of the guides as it is still under construction. Good news, the privy has no smell.
Date: 2010-09-02
From: Flagstaff Lake

To: Harrison's Pierce Pond Camp
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: scattered clouds

We were treated to Loons calling--both last night and this morning. As we hiked along, we counted 17 toads and 1 frog--there must be some sort of migration going on. The toad migration was interupted by 2 moose running out ahead of us.Early in our hike today, Mrs. Limestone disturbed a hornet's nest. She was in the lead and received one sting. Limestone was not so lucky and was stung 5 times. We do not have anything to kill the pain so we take a couple Vitamin I and continue to hike north.The trail has been much easier the last 20 miles, but it has been so hot that we have not been able to pick up the pace.Pierce Pond is a rather large lake like most of the ponds we have been passing. Harrison's "Camp" is rustic, but has great showers. They felt really great. After our shower, we cooked dinner on the porch and called it a day and crawled into a soft bed.Tomorrow we stop at Caratunk Post Office for our last re-supply from home.
Date: 2010-09-03
From: Harrison's Pierce Pond Camp

To: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 18.3

The wasp sting swelling in Limestone's arm and legs have gone down a lot--what a good thing a night in a real bed will do. We went over to the Lodge for our 12 pancakes, 2 eggs and sausage breakfast. We ate it all and it was great. The pancakes were colored red, white and blue! We headed down the trail nice and full. It is amazing how much we can eat in one meal. We took the ferry across the Kennebec River (the official white blaze) and stopped at the Caratunk PO to pick up our last food box. Many thanks to Tonia for making all the needed adjustments and gathering the extras to keep our food boxes stocked and coming to us. The Post Office was a great stop. The folks there were friendly, have a hiker box, had an up to date weather report and provided us with cold water.The weather continues to be hot and hummid, but what is left of the hurricane is suppose to hit tonight with heavy rains and high winds.We stopped for lunch at Pleasant Pond (and it was pleasant sitting on the beach) and found water in a small stream near by.Counted two toads and one frog today.We are in the shelter tonight, waiting for the storm.....
Date: 2010-09-04
From: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to

To: West Branch Piscataquis River
Miles today: 9.9

Hurricane Earl rolled thru last night. The rains started about midnight and continued until 9AM this morning. We have no idea how much rain came down, but the stream next to the shelter would be a challenge to ford and we easily hopped rocks across it last night. There was some wind, but nothing like what was predicted.It was difficult hiking this morning as the trail is wet (as in water running down it) and muddy. About noon, we stopped at Moxie Bald Lean-to for lunch and the sun was out, drying out the woods.We wadded thru a beaver pond that had flooded the trail and were watched by a beaver swimming around checking us out.We were concerned about the fords at Bald Mountain Pond and the West Branch of the Piscataquis River, but they were both within our comfort zone so we made the crossings. The alternative would be to wait a day or two for the water to drop back down.We are stealth camping by the West Branch.
Date: 2010-09-05
From: West Branch Piscataquis River

To: Monson
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: broken clouds

After the wet day yesterday, we were happy to see the morning start out sunny. But, it is much colder and we started hiking in rain coats to take off the chill.The trip down Horseshoe Canyon was most pleasant. The trail was gentle and the scenery outstanding as we followed the river thru the gorge. Horseshoe Spring is dry-even with all the rain.We forded the East Branch of the Piscataquis River below a beaver dam that is new and still under construction. The current was pretty strong in the open channel, but was calm in the reach below the dam on the far bank. We did not see the beaver, but it's work is rechanneling the river.We saw one green frog today.We are staying at Shaw's. We took showers, did the laundry and then went to the Lakeside Pub for dinner. The only place in town that is open.Tomorrow, we continue north and rain is predicted for Wednesday.
Date: 2010-09-06
From: Monson

To: Long Pond Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: broken clouds

Not a good start today. We got up about 5:30 AM so we could pack up our gear and be ready to leave right after breakfast. Unfortunately, someone locked the door to the main house so we had no access to the bathroom. We had to call one of the owners (they do not live on site) to come let us in. Believe it or not, another hiker was sitting about 8 feet from the door and totally ignored our knocks and attempts to get in. It is now humorous, but it was not when we were trying to get in...... After a great breakfast, we were given a shuttle ride to the trail. We are in the 100 mile wilderness and so far, this section of the trail is rather scenic with lots of ponds adjacent to the trail.After fording Long Pond Stream, we found a note that there was no water at the shelter so we packed water up the hill. Because there are no available tents sites, we are staying in the shelter along with Twig. Super Max and Root are in the only tent site--they arrived a bit before us. There are no other thru hikers here, but we did pass Seeker and her brother earlier in the day. The thru hikers are getting more spread out.
Date: 2010-09-08
From: West Branch Pleasant River

To: East Branch Lean-to
Miles today: 16.3

Started raining about 3 AM and continued all the rest of the night. Off to a late start at 8:30 AM. We started our hike with a ford of the Pleasant River. It was a bit cool, but fairly easy. The trail was also fairly easy for the first mile as the trail is an old road bed.Then, lots of climbing to get up over White Cap and it was so foggy at the summit that we could not see anything--no Katahdin view for us. But it is not a mountain range, just the last big climb for a few days--yea! The rock stairs both up and down White Cap are impressive--many thanks to the volunteers who have installed them.Tomorrow we meet Brian and Artie at Jo-Mary Road for re-supply and showers. We then start the final push.....
Date: 2010-09-14
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

For the last several days, we have not been recording anything in the journal. Warren Doyle provides a good description for the last several days--"a time for reflection". It seems the days pass too quickly, the trail relatively easy, and the scenery outstanding as we hike past ponds and hike over streams and bogs. The weather is cooler and the leaves are changing colors. The trail provides ample opportunity to think about our incredible journey.There is no way to describe the feeling of accomplishment and the serenity from the thoughts that this journey and the summit of Katahdin is within our reach. However for Limestone, there is also a feeling of sorrow knowing the end of the journey is near. While we have no plans to boomerang, it would be easy for Limestone to do. Mrs. Limestone is most thankful that we are just about done and a flight home is fast approaching.Katahdin's weather has been good for a couple days, but bad weather approaches which is the reason we are taking a zero day today...to let it pass.It would be fun to hike the 100 Mile Wilderness again, this time with a fly rod and float tube....Tomorrow is the final day....
Date: 2010-09-15
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: light rain

We get up at 3:45 AM so we can drive to the "gate" and be there when it opens. We arrive and are second in line. AT 6 AM, we get in and are off to Katahdin Stream Campgound. This is a good start.Three Feathers (Brian) is hiking with us. Limestone and Three Feathers started the AT in 2005 together and Three Feathers completed his thru hike while Limestone was injured. It will be fun to summit together.Just after Katahdin Falls, it starts raining, first a light drizzle and then steady rain. As we start above tree line, the wind kicks up to 20 to 30 mph. We meet a young couple coming down the rocks and they report it is sleeting/raining with 40 mph winds just above. They are returning to camp and will try again tomorrow.We hike on, scambling and pulling ourselves up and over large rocks. It's a tough hike in the cold weather. While we find some rebar hand holds, there are not enough and our hands are soon very cold from the wet rocks we are using to pull ourselves up.As we continue up, we are passed by the younger thru hikers. None of the thru's who have hiked this far will be denied.Just before the "table lands", Three Feathers turns back too wet and cold to continue. At the top of the "table lands", we meet Rabid who is coming down after completing her summit. It is a joyous occasion, but cut short due to the weather.The rain is non-stop and the winds pick up as we reach the summit at 11:30 AM. The rain and fog prevent any views. We take a few pictures, congratulate the other hikers on the summit and immediately head back down. As we now face the wind, the rain stings as it pelts our faces. It is much colder and we are wishing we were down below tree line. Going down hill, we notice the rocks are now very slick which slows our progress. We continue on, retracing our steps back down and across the "table lands" and onto the exposed, steep rocks. It has become a very slow journey. Our hands get colder and we collect a few bruises as we go down thru the rocks, but finally we are into the tree line and it warms up as the winds subside. To keep warm, we make a very short stop at Katahdin Stream Falls. We stop long enough to get a drink and pull out our sandwiches. It's 2:30 and except for the summit photo stop, we have been hiking non-stop for over 8 hours. We eat walking down the trail still cold and wet.We arrive back at the Katahdin Stream Campground. It has been a 9 hour hike to cover 10.4 miles in some of the worst weather of our entire trip.It is not until we reach the parking lot that we feel the sense of joy--we have successfully completed our journey. The significance is slowly sinking in.....
Date: 2010-09-16
To: The End
Miles today: 0.0

Many thanks to all the folks who followed along our journey and posted comments in the "guest book". The encouragement was most appreciated.We have added a few our pictures to the TJ and have many more that we have decided not to post as it takes too long on our dial up modum. Hopefully everyone will enjoy the ones we have posted.We are still on cloud 9 as we remember all the places we visited and people we met. What a journey..Good luck to the folks who are still on the trail. May you have a safe hike.For those folks who are reading this and thinking about a thru hike in the future, I will update the "gear" list with a few comments. Hopefully they will be of some use. We would be happy to respond to questions or comments to provide information as you plan your hike. There is a lot of gear in the outdoor sporting goods store for good reason--there are lots of choices to make and no one has the right answer. To each their own! Good luck on your journey.
Date: 2009-10-02
To: Well...here we go again!
Miles today: 0.0

In just 161 days, I will be traveling to Amicalola Falls State Park in Georgia to begin my 2010 Appalachian Trail Through-Hike. I've done this before. Twice. The first time was in '05. I made it. It wasn't pretty, and it took longer than I thought it would, and it wasn't done in an uninterrupted northbound hike, but I covered essentially every mile between Springer Mountain and Mount Katahdin. You can read about that in my '05 journal.Four years later, by which I mean earlier THIS year, I had another go at it. This year, I didn't make it all the way. Which really pissed me off. I don't deal with defeat easily. The spirit was MORE than willing, but the flesh failed me. Damn toe. Damn toe infection. Damn bone infection. This little piggy stayed home -- and wished he hadn't. He's not with us any more...So, back to work for about 8 1/2 months, and then we go again.
Date: 2009-10-03
To: The longest running party on the East Coast...
Miles today: 0.0

One of the other through-hikers this year, after a hard day's hike early in Georgia, couldn't believe I was doing the trail for a second time. She was struggling a bit, and couldn't figure out why anyone would want to suffer the trials and tribulations of the trail more than once. I told her I'd had so much fun the first time, that I couldn't wait to do it again. (By the way, she made it all the way to Katahdin. I wonder if she changed her mind...)For me, the trail is one of the most wonderful places in the whole world. I've had a chance to see some of the world over the past 40 years, so that is not an empty claim. But it's not really about the scenery, impressive as some of that is. Its about the people you meet. Some of the most incredible people you'd ever want to meet. Special people. People with a dream, and the guts to pursue it. The AT is one of the few remaining epic journeys that is within the reach of anyone with the desire to hike and the ability to carry a 30-40 pound pack up and over mountains. For six months. And its about the people who who help you out along the way. We call them "trail angels", and they are everywhere. Simply put, they restore your faith in humanity.Those you hike with become your new best friends, and many will truly become "best friends forever". (If you want a sample of that, try the '09 journals of "Gansta" and "Wags" as they near Mount Katahdin.) For me, the comraderie of the trail is the absolute best part. It's been called "the longest continuous party on the East Coast". That doesn't mean it's all fun and games. It's not. Assuredly, it's not. But it is such a fun-loving group, and the humor is infectious -- more so than swine flu, which is kind of an appropriate comparison given how most of us smell after a few weeks on the trail. And that (the friends, not the smell) is why it hurts so very much if you have to stop before the end. It just about kills you knowing that your friends are still hiking north, and you ... well, you're ... not. After the people, I most enjoy the sheer physical challenge. The exercise does me so much good, and making it to the top of a mountain, under your own power, is a very good feeling indeed. Especially in some of the more remote areas where you know that not everyone will be able to experience the awesome vistas that lie before you. Plus, frankly, I could stand to lose some weight....So, it's off to Georgia again. In 160 days. Not soon enough.
Date: 2009-10-04
To: It will be different this time.
Miles today: 0.0

On my first hike, in 2005, I really had no idea what to expect. Until three years before that, I'd never even owned a backpack. I was winging it from day one. With only a few exceptions, everyone else was, too! I learned a lot, fairly quickly, but some things took me until Katahdin to figure out. Like what it really means to "hike your own hike". For me, that included taking a different trail to the top of Mount Katahdin, for which I have never made apologies. (Don't be surprised if I take that same trail to the top in 2010.)This year, in some ways, I knew too much. About injuries, for example. In my '05 hike, I suffered a stress fracture in my right tibia and a miniscus tear in my right knee, before I even got into the Smokies. That cost me six weeks off the trail, but then I got back on and headed north. With another three weeks of planned absence from the trail for scout camps with my kids, I finally had to "jump up north" -- skipping temporarily over about 500 miles of trial -- so that I could summit before they closed Baxter State Park. Fortunately, when I jumped up to the Massachusetts border with Vermont, I plopped myself right back into the group of friends I'd started out from Springer with, and was able to hike the 600 miles to Katahdin in their company. That meant a lot to me. Still does. So I summited on September 28 "with my class", and then returned to Massachusetts and hiked those last 500 miles southbound. By myself. Kind of lonesome, but I was determined to complete my through-hike in one year, and I did. This year, I started out with the joy of hiking without pain in my right knee. (Had the darn thing replaced after my last hike.) Everything was going so well. So incredibly well. And then, just when I was thinking this was going to be a piece of cake, the toe got infected, and it went downhill from there. So now, I REALLY know too much. Now I know how easy it is to get taken off the trail with injuries. And I'm just a tad spooked by that. I probably should see a shrink. Or, maybe I should consult my good friend from my '05 hike and my transcriber for my '09 journal, the ever-so-insightful journalist and hiker-dudette, "The Divine Ms. B" -- Break-a-leg. Yeah, that's it. She knows me pretty well. She'll know just what to say that will help me get over this little phobia I've developed. I wonder if she's up from her nap?
Date: 2009-10-06
To: Ok, from the beginning, please...
Miles today: 0.0

I made it as far as Dennis Cove this year before injuries forced me off the trail. That's over 400 miles, and just 40 miles shy of Damascus, which is the first town you come to after crossing the Tennessee boarder into Virigina. When I told people I was going to have another go at the trail next year, some of them somehow just assumed I would restart my hike at Dennis Cove. After all, I'd already hiked those first 400 miles, yes? Why repeat them?Two reasons. First, there is something quite magical about that first night on the trail. In fact, all of the early days and nights on the trail, from both of my AT hikes, are etched indelibly into the fabric of my mind. They say that you remember things most vividly when your mind is in a state of heightened awareness -- like when you're really happy, or really scared. It's why, when we hear a certain song on the radio, we are immediately transported back in time, back to that Saturday night in the high school gym when, for the first time, we held someone special in our arms and danced the night away. Or that time her dad chased us down the driveway with a loaded gun....but I digress. Those early days on the trail are also special because of the bonding that goes on within the hiker community. While each of us individualy carries our hopes and dreams of victory to the top of each mountain, and sleeps with one ear open for unfamiliar night sounds, we know instintively that everyone around us is going through the same thing. We share the anguish of muscles and tendons strained by overuse and unaccustomed loads, the joy of finally making it to the shelter at the end of the day, the druggery of slogging through pouring rain and boot sucking mud, and the thrill of discovering a former hiker offering fresh-cooked hamburgers and hot dogs at a road crossing, and a thousand other highs and lows of trail life through the mountains of Georgia and North Carolina. We come to depend on each other for communal sustenance -- a campfire, an original song on a flute or ukalele, someone bringing extra water up for the spring, a joke or story that lightens the mood and restores our sanity. There's just no way that I'm going to miss all that! It's one of the best parts of the entire journey.And the second reason? Well, ya see, I'm also doing this little walk in the woods as a fund-raiser. If you want to know more, here's a link: So, the longer I walk, even at a penny a mile, the more money I raise. I know I got at least $4.00 from this year's hike. I'm hopin' for another $21.75 by this time next year.
Date: 2009-11-17
To: Why does it always take so long!!!!
Miles today: 0.0

It¢s like I was back in Ms. Lamberts Latin class staring at the clock on the wall. Its 2:45 and I just can¢t WAIT for it to be 3:30 so I can throw my stuff in my locker and run out the door ¢ free at last, free at last! And the damn thing won¢t move. The hands are stuck on 2 and 9, respectively. Only now, it¢s a calendar, and it¢s only November 17. I¢m totally being held captive until the pages turn to March, and the little ¢X¢s¢ I make through each day cross through the first 12 days. I¢m goin¢ NUTS! Nuts, I tell ya. I¢m not alone, but that¢s no consolation. Read the other 87 journals of my 2010 compatriots and you¢ll see what I mean. To make matters worse, I¢ve had almost NO time to get in the training hikes I was going to do ¢ hoping to retain at least some semblance of the trail legs I had going for me last spring. After 400 miles, I was beginning to get into shape. At this point, that¢s all gone. I hope to get in a hike over Thanksgiving, and another one during the Christmas/New Year¢s holidays, but that may be it. My five mile ¢waddles¢ once or twice a week are not going to get me ready to climb mountains with a 35 pound pack for 8-10 hours a day. Ok, I can sort of live with that. It¢s not the end of the world. I¢ll just have to do what I did on my first two trips to Springer Mountain: Hike myself into shape. It¢s not fun, but it¢s eminently doable. You just take it nice and slow and easy to start out, and before you know it, you find yourself doing a 17 mile day, and then a 19 mile day, and then ¢ voilla (spell check, AISE 6 ¢ I took Latin, Ms. B, not French¢¦) ¢ you¢re in shape. Sitting here in my office cubicle, I can almost smell the pine-scented air at the top of Springer Mountain. I can feel the wind on my face and the sun burning the tops of my ears. (Memo to self: sunscreen on the ears twice a day, every day, at least until the trees leaf out!) I can hear the gurgling of the water as it rushes over the rocks at Stover Creek, and the crush of fallen leaves under my boot. I pause halfway up the next climb and look around me. I¢m in the woods again. On my way north. Life is good. In my mind. Sitting here in my cubicle. Going NUTS...