morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-09-06
From: Caratunk, ME

To: Moxie Boald
Miles today: 15.0

Today was rather uneventful. It was a gorgeous day, and everyone was dragging coming out of Caratunk. I did not wait on the shuttle back to the trail, b/c I had the patience of a large flea and wanted to go when I was ready. I hitched a ride with a local hunting guide back to the trailhead.I hiked about 3 miles, and flopped down on a shale bar in the sun, next to a very peaceful stream. Slow and Steady came by shortly there after and flopped down also. It was just a lazy day.I moved on about an hour later, and chose to move on past the next shelter without stopping. I later learned I missed excellent chocolate chip cookies that someone had left there for hikers.That was ok, b/c I had lunch for an hour on top of the mountain, and the views were spectacular.I finally drug myself up to Moxie right before dark and crashed for the night in my tent. I would have gotten there much sooner if I had not taken three or four hours of breaks. It was just a lazy day, and there are not too many of those out here.
Date: 2005-09-07
From: Moxie Bald

To: Horseshoe Canyon
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

The hiker through himself down on the ground in front of the shelter where I was sitting reading the register. "Ya staying?" he asked. My instinct spoke up for me. "No" I said. I picked up my pack and went down the hill to find Slow and Steady who were looking for a tent site. "You're not staying are you?" she said when she saw my pack. She had already seen the guy as he passed her getting water. "No," I said, "and I think you need to get your pack and move on also." She agreed and went to get her pack.There has only been one other time, that I can recall, where my gut has screamed to leave, and this was one of those times. I kind of dropped my guard when I saw he had a dog, but then I remembered that the serial killer in "Silence of the Lambs" did also.We hiked about a half mile and found a couple of good sites down by the river. I am currently sitting here eating all of my food since tomorrow is a town day in Monson for resupply. I am starving! I think I stopped 4 times to eat today, and still was hungry all day. Rumor has it there is an excellent barbecue restaurant in Monson. I can' wait!The day was fairly uneventful with a few exceptions. The weather was perfect, so the views from the summit of Moxie Bald were breathtaking. I could even see Katahdin...the end of the journey.The terrain was fairly gentle, but there were a couple of river fords, and the deep mud, rocks, and roots really put a crimp in my stride. I spent most of the time doing the "root dance." I don't think my shoes were ever dry today. For that matter, neither was my pack since I fell right into the first river. Damn those rocks are slick!I'm still waiting for a bull moose sighting, and I'm running out of time...:-(. It is 7:30...time to get ready to climb in my tent. Ciao
Date: 2005-09-09
From: Monson, ME

To: Woods near Long Pond
Miles today: 14.0

Let me just begin by saying I AM JUST SICK! I left my full length Thermarest in Monson at Shaw's. I would kick myself if I could.. I just can't believe that I did that. It is supposed to be pretty cold tomorrow also.It is hard leaving town, but today was especially hard for some reason. My subconscious must have known there was no Thermarest in my pack. The weather was beautiful and the two river fords not too cold, so other than my Thermarest (my favorite piece of gear) it was a good day.I stopped at Wilson shelter for an early dinner, and met two gentlemen, I'm guessing in their sixties. One was Oatmeal, and the other was Rigamortis. I love the name Rigamortis. Oatmeal is finishing up his last section of the Appalachian Trail. They were great guys from Alabama, and I really enjoyed chatting with them.Later I passed a couple looking for a campsite. They appeared to have settled on a sheltered slab of rock at the top of a ridge. They really just appeared too tired to go any further. I told them there were some nice leafy spots just down below, but I got the impression that they were not about to move.I headed on a couple more miles and found Patches and Bob down by the river. There were some nice grassy spots, so I set up my tent and crawled in to whine about my Thermarest some more. It was a cold night, but I slept on top of my extra clothes and a piece of blue foam Bob lent me, so I was not overly chilly in my sleeping bag.
Date: 2005-09-09
From: Woods

To: Woods above river
Miles today: 14.0

Last night I arrived near an old grass woods road to find Patches (AT Section hiker completing his last section on the AT), and a friend of his, setting up camp. It was an excellent tenting spot, and close to dark, so I decided to move up the grassy road a bit, and set my tent up also. Patches informed me there was "trail magic" in the form of sodas in a stream on further a bit, and after harrassment by his friend about "southern gentlemen" and all that jazz, Patches set off to grab me one while I finished setting up. I was amazed..."trail magic" in the first day of the remote "100 Mile Wilderness." Hmmm...I set up my tent and dug everything out, and then stood there staring at my pack in stunned amazement while the realization that I had left my Thermarest at Shaw's slowly sunk in through the haze of frustration. I put my head back and let out long, loud moan. Patches friend whirled around and asked if everything was alright. I explained the situation, to which he clucked appropriately, and insisted I use the small piece of foam he used as a butt cushion. I initially declined, but finally agreed, picturing it cushioning one buttock. Great. I was in the "100 Mile Pseudo-Wilderness" without my favorite piece of gear!Patches brought me my Pepsi (super nice of him), and I climbed into my tent after making supper, to sit and feel sorry for myself and my 35 pound less fat cushioning body. It was chilly, and I had lost much of my natural insulation, but at least my Thermarest pampered body had grass to sleep on for the night.As I drifted off to sleep, my mind was already working on how to get back my Thermarest.
Date: 2005-09-10
From: Woods above river

To: Woods above river
Miles today: 14.0

I woke up early this morning with just my nose poking out of my 15 degree Marmot mummy bag. I was a little stiff, but had slept suprisingly well considering the lack of Thermarest needed to cushion this pampered body. Let me just say here that my Thermarest has made my trip much more enjoyable, and I can't imagine not having it with me.I headed out before Patches and his friend. I was on a mission. I had to get a cell signal to call Shaw's! I climbed my first hill to some ledges and was able to get a signal to reach Ms. Shaw. I explained the situation to her, and she said she would call back with a message. An hour later on another nameless mountain, I was able to call her back. My Thermarest had rolled under my bed, they had found it, and Buddy was going to bring it to the Gulf Hagas access road the next morning. It was only going to cost 75 dollars! Holy crap! I verified that was dollars, and then confirmed the delivery. It was worth the money. This was the end of the trip, and I wanted my Thermarest pad.The rest of the day was tougher than I expected. It consisted of a lot of little climbs with some magnificent views. I was running late after stopping for a few too many breaks to eat, and did not reach Chairback Shelter until close to 6PM. I stopped to eat dinner, and then headed on to get closer to Gulf Hagas for the evening. I was tired, and shortly after leaving Chairback, I headed down some steep rock steps. Give me steep rock steps going up any day! I headed down, and glanced up after a minute to see a jumble of rocks in front of me. What the hell? Had I missed the trail? The steps stopped at what appeared to be a rock slide. I sat down on the first boulder and peered down into the dimming light. There was what appeared to be a dim white blaze at the bottom on a tree. I did not see blazes on the rocks. I sure hoped I was headed the right way, b/c it was getting late and would be a pain in the butt to climb back up or try to get around it to wherever the trail might be located.I butt hopped my way down the steep slide to the bottom and headed off towards the river. As it got darker I put on my headlamp. I turned it on and could not even tell it was working. I took it off and peered and the faintly glowing bulb. Clearly my batteries were having issues. I began looking for a tent site, which would be tougher to find in the dark. I'm not a fan of night hiking, or the the "drop and sleep" method that some use with cowboy camping. I like my tent to keep out the buggies and other crawlie critters. I've tried cowboy camping and used tarps. I simply had too many visitors!Off to my left I spotted a spot of what appeared to be peat moss. I know my tent and pack like the back of my hand, and was able to set everything up rather quickly in the dark. I crawled in and layed down on what felt like a mattress under my back. Amazing! This had to be one of the best tent sites on which I had ever set up my tent.I slept like a baby.
Date: 2005-09-12
From: Logan Brook

To: Antler's Campsite
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: few clouds

Today's hiking was some of the most gentle hiking in Maine today. The trails rolled through leaf covered and pine needle forests, over bog bridges and alongside running streams with few serious elevation gains or losses. There was only one small climb up Boardman mountain, which allowed for a nice lunch break perched on some boulders near the top.My appetite has spiked again. I've noticed it goes through ups and downs dependent on the amount of time spent out of town. Once I hit four days out it soars, and I will eat virtually anything. If I don't eat a lot while in town, then stays in high drive until I allow it three solid meals plus. Today was a good example of just how hungy I get. I'm sure everyone has heard of the "five second rule." If something edible dropped on the ground does not lay there more than five seconds, then it is good to be eaten. This completely goes out the window on a distance hike. As long as the food has not been chewed on by "critters" (and sometimes even this does not matter to some hikers), and it has not started decomposing or aquiring unnatural colors, then it is fair game!I sat perched on my rock making tuna fish english muffins with small packs of mustard and relish. These are awesome, and the first time I had tried this particular recipe on the trail. I had two and was still starving, sitting there frustrated as I rummaged through my food bag counting each day's food and hoping I had mistakenly put in a little more than needed. I glanced down and saw tuna fish scattered across the rock where I had been spilling it as I ate for the last 45 minutes. I did not even hesitate. I reached down and began picking it off the rock and eating it quickly.I looked up to see two section hikers watching me. I just smiled with complete normalcy and kept picking tuna fish off the rock. I'm sure I looked like some sort of deranged homeless, wild woman picking food off the ground. They hurried quickly past me without saying a word. About five seconds later it dawned on me what I must have looked like to these horrified people. I chuckled softly and scanned the rock for stray bits of tuna before packing up and heading on down the trail.No sense in wasting good food. Besides, I certainly was not going to leave it for another thru-hiker!Antler's was nice. I headed out to the peninsula for the tent site at the far end, but it was already taken by another hiker. I took the next tent site, which was just as nice and had a fantastic view of the lake. I made my favorite dehydrated meal of chilli mac, and curled up in my tent for the evening. Everyone has their favorite time of the day. Mine is setting up my tent for the evening,in an excellent tent site, and climbing into my little protective space for the evening.
Date: 2005-09-15
From: Rainbow Springs

To: Abol Bridge
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

These last few entries are all from memory. I'm home and back at work now. I miss the trail already.The last day into Abol Bridge was dreary and rainy, but the miles flew by as I drew closer to the end of my journey. I hiked through the morning rain, and my mind was grounded deep down in it's own place. Before long I was at the final shelter, and although I wanted to sit and savor the final moments, the pull northward was even stronger.I had stopped at Rainbow ledges to call my brother. He was flying in to Bangor, and I was going to arrive at Abol Bridge earlier than expected where he and Dewey were going to pick up me and Crazy Legs to go into Millinocket. We were giving Crazy Legs a ride back down to Andhover, ME to meet Rising Phoenix, so he was tagging along for the next couple of days.Crazy and I got some great trail magic at the trail head (a cooler with sodas and snacks), and then headed on to the Abol store. It was dreary and drizzly, but it did not matter in the least. We were at Abol Bridge! We took some pictures, and then grabbed some snacks and sat under a tree at a picnic table where we chatted with Noodle while we waited on my brother. I had left him a message that we were running on early, and to come on out from the airport.They pulled up around 3:30, and we headed for the hotel. The night consisted of the perfect ending to a rather surreal day...a shower, lobster, and warm bed.
Date: 2005-09-16
From: Millinocket

To: Katahdin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Friday was scheduled to be a semi-nice day, so we decided to climb Katahdin on Friday, and during the rain on Saturday, hike south from Katahdin to Abol (my first SOBO section this year). I decided not to take my pack up Katahdin. This would be the first time I had hiked without it.It was overcast, but that in no way diminished the excitement as we headed up Katahdin. Crazy Legs moved on ahead, and Lee and Dewey came along behind me as we headed up the mountain. We three hiked together, and stopped for a few "photo ops" as Lee refers to them as we headed up the mountain.Lee and Dewey were working up a sweat as we began climbing, but they were doing great. They had never done any real hiking, so this was a new experience for them. I had summited Katahdin in 98', so I tried to prepare them for the upcoming climbs, but I don't think I did a very good job.We climbed out of treeline, and arrived at the beginning of the scrameble. The first section of rock with the notorious "rebar climb." We had already passed about 4 or 5 day hikers headed back down stating they were not "rock climbers." I could tell Lee and Dewey were kind of mulling over these statements as we hiked.I arrived at the rocks, pulled myself up and over grabbing the rebar, and headed on up the trail. Behind me I heard "Ellie...come back." I paused on the rocks, and just looked up a little wistfully. I had an idea of what was coming. I climbed back up and over, and looked down at the guys. They just stood there looking up at me not really saying anything. I climbed back down and we sat there watching Mud Pumpking and her sister climb on up. We talked about the climbing for a minute. Neither one liked heights, and this was not what they had expected. I just smiled, and said "It's ok, I've already climbed the mountain, let's go back down." They both looked relieved as we headed down Katahdin. I paused and looked up where I knew the other hikers were celebrating. Not the ending I had expected I thought, as I trotted to catch up with what was important.I could probably debate and second guess this decision forever, but I believe in no regrets, and I have no regrets. My family came up to hike with me, and that was very important to me...as important as the hike itself. I wanted them to have a good time, not be embarassed or ashamed b/c they did not climb to the top. I hike, and I love to hike. I'm just a hiker, not a purist, although I have the utmost respect for the purists and what they represent. I just love to walk and climb in the woods. I've now hiked the entire Appalachian Trail. I did the section from Katahdin to Manchester Center SOBO in 98', passing "every white blaze," and this year I hiked NOBO.Over the course of my life, I think I've sometimes lost sight of the important things, but I think this walk brought them home again. The crazy thing is that it was not until the last month that I reevaluated my priorities and discovered how to really enjoy the hike, and find a balance.
Date: 2005-09-17
From: Katahdin

To: Abol Bridge
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

The Final Day....wow.It rained all day today, but the hiking was beautiful. Crazy Legs set out ahead of us again, and Lee, Dewey and I just ambled on through the rain, stopping at every opportunity for Lee's "photo ops." Lee insisted we be in the every picture, even if they falls and landscapes were far more beautiful than us. He said that pictures don't mean anything without people he knows in them. The hiking was absolutely gorgeous. It wound along side the rivers and ponds and spent the last 4 miles or so following along the river to Abol. You could not have asked for better trail. The guys even got to see some deer, but were especially fascinated by the bear scat scattered about the trail, and were a little disappointed they go to see no bear I think. I forgot to mention though that had gotten to see some meese the previous day on our drive up to Katahdin...a cow and her calf running up the middle of the park road ahead of us. It was very exciting. Hell, some hikers never get to see a moose over a six month period.We arrived at Abol to find Crazy Legs hanging out in the Porta Potty. It was cold and rainy, and he said the Abol Campground store owner seemed less than excited about him hanging out in the store. Poor Crazy...it was the store owner's loss. Crazy is an interesting and entertaining character. I've no doubts that Crazy was glad to be rid of us since we made him get up each morning at 5:30AM to leave the hotel by 6AM, and did not hike anywhere close to his speed..:-). Crazy could now head back to his girl, and a good night's sleep!I'll have a final entry on post hike thoughts, but for now I'm going to take a little break. I'm working again, and things are still a little wound up. I've found it much harder to assimilate than I had expected.
Date: 2005-03-02
From: Amicalola Falls

To: Stover Creek
Miles today: 2.5
Weather: clear sky

I left my dad's place in Connecticut yesterday morning with a new pairof poles he bought me as a present, and a pack that weighs more thanthe responsible limit. The train from Penn Station to Gainesville,Georgia was a luxurious ride. Supper, breakfast and an ingeniouslydesigned cabin. I got a good night's sleep waking occasionally to seeforests and towns speeding past the window. From Gainesville toAmicalola Falls park, I shared a cab ride with Don, another hiker. Idon't know if hikers are supposed to bring luck, but the driver gaveus each a lottery card and asked us to scratch the numbers off forhim. We both came up short. The weather was beautiful on the 8.8-mile hike up toSpringer and the start of the trail, cool clear blue sky and a light dusting of snow at higherelevations. On the way up, I met Brett from Cornwall. We hiked part ofthe way together and both settled in for the night at the Stover Creekshelter along with hikers Julie and Angie. It was a chilly night andwe really needed a fire, but the wood wasn't very dry, and I washaving trouble getting one going. Finally, after emptying one box ofmatches to no discernibe effect, I made a pyre over my stove. I havethe kind that runs a fuel line to a bottle, so I could keep thecanister at a safe distance while I fired up the mound of twigs. Itwasn't elegant but it proved effective.
Date: 2005-03-03
From: Stover Creek Shelter

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I set out around 9:30 this morning, and after a couple of miles on awide level path, things started to get a bit harder. The mountainshere are mercifully not as high or steep as what I'm used to inQuebec. But I'm not in trail shape yet and my pack is much too heavy.I'm not ready to cull, because I can't decide which luxuries to sendhome. My main mistake was carrying too much food. It's clear thatopportunities for resupply will be more frequent than I imagined and Ireally don't need to carry as much as I packed. But at least I knowthat weight will go down, and there may be times ahead when I'm gladto have so many calories in my pack. The shelter at Gooch Mountain isquite a bit fuller than last night's. Three earlier shelters convergehere so there were about a dozen of us by nightfall. I got hereshortly before five and tried to earn my tentative trailname from lastnight: Firestarter. My shelter mates were too generous to propose it,and I'd be a bit presumptious to use it, especially after tonight'sperformance. We did get a nice fire going in the end, but that's onlythanks to Dom, the hiker I met in the taxi, who arrived with actualfirestarters, and they got the job done.
Date: 2005-03-04
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Wood's Hole Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: clear sky

Today seemed hard. I went the same distance as the two previous days,and the total for climbs and descents was probably about the same. Butmore of the climbing happened later in the day, I'm feeling a bit ofcumulative soreness. When I left camp this morning, I had planned toattempt the 16 miles to Neel Gap. I didn't even make it as far as theBlood Mountain Shelter. Now I'm planning to take it easy tomorrow witha short hike over Blood Mountain and an afternoon in Neel Gap. Brett,Angie and Julie are all here, along with John and Sean from lastnight. Billy must have made it to Blood Mountain. He passed me aroundnoon today. I had dropped my tuque earlier in the day, and wasn'tlooking forward to cold ears tonight, but Billy picked it up on thetrail 4 miles before he passed me. I think that counts as my firstencounter with trail magic.
Date: 2005-03-05
From: Wood's Hole Shelter

To: Bagg's Creek Gap
Miles today: 7.9

Today was an easy day, a short four-mile hike in the morning, the samein the afternoon, a long break in the middle, and for the second halfof the day, a much more manageable pack. The trail over Blood Mountainthis morning was easier than I expected. I'm still glad I didn't do itat the end of the day yesterday but by the time I got to the Walasi YiCentre at Neel Gap, I knew I wanted to keep going. But first I gotsome help with my pack. The outfitter at the Centre offered a "shakedown" service. I emptied my pack, and they combed through it and foundfive pounds of excess weight to send home. I'm also going to have torethink my food strategy a bit: I will have to stop in Hiawassee and Isent too much weight to Frankin. I also got help with the straps on mypack. It fits a lot more comfortably now, and the afternoon's walk wasvery pleasant. I stopped at a tent site at Bagg's Creek Gap. The nextthing I'm going to need some expert help on is how to hang my food. Upuntil now, I've had the shelter pulley systems. Tonight was my firstsolo effort with the cord, and it was a bit of a disaster. I managedto untangle myself after a time, but there's a knot in a branch that'sgoing to take some climbing and a knife to fix in the morning. The endresult could probably be downed by a cub with a running start, but ifit holds out tonight, I will seek out instruction tomorrow from one ofthe many expert hikers out here.
Date: 2005-03-06
From: Bagg's Creek Gap

To: Blue Mountain
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Today I really felt like I've found my legs. I managed my longestdistance yet, and got to the shelter at Blue Mountain still feelingpretty fit. I'm surprised there aren't more people here. There's onlyone other hiker here and he came all the way from Blood Mountain. Ipassed only one other hiker today and no one passed me. It's strangebecause the trail seemed so busy a couple of days ago.