morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-07-03
From: Rainbow Spring Campsite

To: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: light rain

I was still very stiff & got a late start (9:00). Taking time to tend to my feet (little blisters in odd places, which I don't usually get) made me the next-to-last out of the campsite. We walked on lots of rock steps thru bogs. I always wonder why they seem to stop one rock or one plank too soon -- so you end up in the mud anyway. I felt slow but made first 2 miles in one hour, with legs less stiff as I went along. Beautiful day. Hoping for a vista & maybe to sight a moose?! Detoured to a pretty area at the end of the lake near the dam, with a view of Mt Katahdin; & I got myself a new pole: Moosewood again. 10:37. There is a series of ponds below the dam ["Rainbow deadwaters], where I came to a big blow-down. I like to feel useful while hiking [otherwise, a somewhat self-indulgent activity], so I carry a little folding saw to clear things that obstruct the Trail. This first major job took about 45 minutes. I stopped for lunch at Rainbow Lean-to, but not before seeing a moose across the last pond. . .  Again [I had seen one swimming in the same pond with a calf in 2004]. Later I met NOBO Selfie from France. Started 1March !! 62. Nesuntabunt Mtn brought more trail work, till I had to hurry to get to the lean-to in daylight [I've got to do better on that].At the lean-to, I met a large group of NOBOs, mostly section hikers. I also met at least 3 SOBOs, one of whom had started a month ago, then resumed 1 July. Pan, Biscuit, & Wes were some of the names.I've heard the Question asked, "Where is the Northern-most switchback on the AT?" They seem to be much less plentiful in the North than in the South. There were lots of nice stone steps here, but nothing that qualified by my definition of switchback. I think there should be more than 2 runs exceeding 20 feet long, connected by angles [change of bearing] of at least 120 degrees. I'll keep looking.
Date: 2015-07-04
From: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to

To: Antlers Campsite
Miles today: 13.6

I started at 7:50 after talking for a while with the others. Awesome new privy. Another nice day. Walking along river required bug spray for the first time. They kept ganging up on me. If I can swat them one at a time, I'm OK, but when I go to swat one & find 3 or 4 others there too, I turn to chemical assistance. I met Beaker, completing a thru-hike attempt from 2011 (hurricanes, &c. stopped him) I was hiking in parallel with Pan, Wes, Biscuit & dog, Roo. I slipped on a rock approaching Potaykajo Lean-to. I was trying to jump over some water & missed the rock, scratching up my leg & getting a small cut above my eye. I had enough first aid stuff to get the bleeding stopped & continued on to the shelter. Nothing that affected my walking. Taking my glasses on & off as I walk probably didn't help, even tho my vision is generally better after cataract surgery this Spring. I stopped only briefly at the shelter. Some others were going on to Antlers campground; so I did too. Blisters not so bothersome today. Maybe I'll get it all together tomorrow. Arrived before 8:00 for the first time! I went along some pretty lakes today. The trouble is, shoreline trails are rock & muddy. Lots of fireworks across Jo-Mary Lake tonight [mostly just out of sight]. Loons too. Many people have been out doing the 100-mile wilderness this week, from all over. I wondered if some travel agency had been pushing it!I met Whitehorse & Whisky, Blue Toad & Back-Back (finishing a 2000 thru-hike attempt by sections).
Date: 2015-07-05
From: Antlers Campsite

To: East Branch Lean-to
Miles today: 16.0

I had beautiful trail this morning. I even found a bridge in Maine [after two fords!] There aren't many. At Jo-Mary Road [named after an Indian chief, I believe] I found my food drop with some difficulty, including a sign that was down along the side of the road. People from AT Lodge had set it out for me. I had lunch right there, so I could leave the trash in the can to reduce weight & trash carried. The amount I picked up seems huge! I don't know what I was thinking. Other than the added weight, a great day. All body parts functioning & healing well. I met Imram(a section hiker), Stretch, & Apollo, a very fast hiker. I was tempted to try the swimming hole at Cooper Brook Lean-to, but I decided to go on a bit to Crawford Pond, which has a sandy beach. I was joined there by Biscuit, & we both went swimming. It felt good. While the breeze of the pond kept the mosquitos away, there were some biting flies. The next thing was going up Little Boardman Mtn. There was lots of trail work to be done on the way up; so I spent quite a bit of time there. At 4:00 I decided it was quitting time -- I wouldn't stop again unless I saw something particularly enticing -- I would only do the stuff that could just easily be picked up & tossed off the Trail. It's amazing to me how many hikers will climb thru the brush to get around something not very heavy & not attached to anything!   While working, I met a very fast (100 days) NOBO from Norway [Mammoth] & was passed by Biscuit, whom I found camped next to a pond a while later. I got to the lean-to in the dark again. I couldn't find the trail to the water, even tho I could hear it, because there was a large group of French-speaking teenagers camped all over the place.
Date: 2015-07-06
From: East Branch Lean-to

To: Just before KIW Road
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: light rain

Sharing the large shelter with me [in their tent] were Scruggs & Woodstock + their dog. Camped next was Wes, whom I met again at the next shelter (Logan Brook). I had an interesting conversation there with a guy from Brunswick, where my son was born in the late '60s.I believe I've figured out why I'm 2 days ahead on food. Going all the way to Abol Spring the first day & eating at the restaurant the next effectively cut out two major meals. Anyway, the load is bothering me. Leaning with the load does help when the trail is good; going over rocks, leaning can help too, but it's trickier to do. I think I figured out Logan Brook Lean-to. The mystery had been that each time I've been there, I approached it from the same side, but going in opposite directions on the Trail. Well, sure enough, the Trail comes to the same corner of the shelter, from front & back. Trail workers have been thru here. In 2004, I remember a large trail crew being camped around the shelter. They've certainly done a lot of good work up the mountain. I remembered steps from last time, so many of them quite near the top. Last time, I was trying to get down into the trees in the dark to avoid the cold wind -- this time I'd like a bit more wind as I climbed up thru the trees. I did get a view of Mt Katahdin from Whitecap Mtn this time. Going up Whitecap & the mountains behind it gets discouraging when I think I am near the top, & then the Trail discloses the true summit way ahead. Yet experience leads to knowing how quickly you can be up there. I stopped briefly at Sidney Tappan Campsite [where Mark & I camped in 1004], just before it was invaded by a dozen youth. Then I stopped for water & supper at Carl Newhall Lean-to, where I met Happy Feet, Temper, Ghost Chili, & Smiles. I figured I'd get down to the West Branch of the Pleasant River quickly enough, on fairly easy Trail, with camping just beyond -- I sort of remembered it that way. But it is actually not so easy that I could do the 2 mph I needed [I did about 1.4]. I ended up hiking the last two miles in the dark, while the path got worse rather than better. No camping for 2 miles North of the river. I was very tired. Had to rest up to be ready for fording (10:00 pm). Then it was hard to find the Trail on the other side, & I never did find the campground. Once I entered the water with my headlamp, I was blinded by bugs! They were in my eyes, ears, mouth, & nose, with visibility like a snowstorm [but snow is less invasive]. After wandering for a while [at least the water was warm], I finally figured out that the Trail was near 2 big boulders near the far shore. No sign of a campsite, so I continued a quarter mile & found a tiny space in the woods alongside. This was just a little bit before Katahdin Iron Works Road. I must try not to get in so late again.
Date: 2015-07-07
From: Just before KIW Road

To: Between 3-1/2 & 4th mtns
Miles today: 8.8

I got out pretty early because I had a big mtn to climb.Along the way, I met Blue Toes, a couple pairs of lady section hikers, plus 10 teens. I saw hardly anyone in the afternoon [Sometime I saw Viking, Birdman, Happy Thoughts, & Siesta]. Many things about Chairback Mtn seemed different & others the same: getting to the Mtn seemed longer; the rock slide seemed easier this time. I had several opportunities for trail work along the way to the Mtn, some near the top, & a lot going over the top. A great many fir trees had lost their tops & landed them on the Trail. Christmas trees all over the place!I stopped for lunch at Chairback Gap Lean-to, [Rock Man joined me & went on ahead], then continued across Columbus Mtn, Third Mtn, & Mt. 3-1/2 [I didn't remember that existed]. Third Mtn has a lot of good views of places to the West, where we won't go on the AT. Overall, these mtns were easier than I remembered, but obviously I wasn't going very fast.After looking for a while, I found a suitable campsite between 3-1/2 & 4th Mtn. I got set up early, had supper, & was snug in the tent before the rain started.
Date: 2015-07-08
From: Between 3-1/2 & 4th mtns

To: Wilson Valley Lean-to
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

Today started with going over 4th Mt. & Barren Mtn, the highest of this chain, then down a couple thousand feet to Long Pond Stream, to start a day of fording.The morning was mostly sunny, but Barren is a long mtn, with plenty of time for some quiet rain, then lots of wind. In various places there was nice trail going down, which was scary because I wondered if I'd have to go back up. Lots of Moose poop on the mtn, but I saw no moose in the very dense woods. I only saw one possible stealth camp site on that whole long Mtn [another reason it's called "barren"?], so it was good I had stopped when I did last night. After lunch at Long Pond Stream Lean-to, I proceeded down to the first of 3 significant fords today. Each had a rope to help, & the water wasn't too high, so they ended up not very difficult. There were also some nice waterfalls. Soon after Long Pond Stream, I started meeting a number of hikers, including Pa Burt (& another speedy hiker over 70), Dragon, Willow, Yellow Beard, & Little Goat. There wasn't much trail work for me in this section, but I still couldn't seem to get up much speed. I had hoped to get to Monson by this evening & have a day off [zero day] tomorrow. Obviously, that wasn't going to happen; so I thought I might at least get to Leeman Brook Lean-to, saving a night at the hostel, but still having almost a complete day off. That wasn't happening either. I can see that I have various conflicting values at work here. From a competitive viewpoint, I'd like to do the 100-mile wilderness in less time than previously. But I also value being useful, i.e., doing trail work, which has definitely slowed me down some days [I figure I've done more than 8 hours, so far]. So here I am: a half day tomorrow will still get me there in less than the 9 days Mark & I did it. It's all about who I am; so I have to live with it.I was getting pretty tired by the time I got to Wilson Valley Lean-to; so it looked like time to stop. The only other hiker there was one whose feet were in deplorable condition -- just trying to get to Monson for repairs & healing. The signage around the shelter is deplorable too -- we never did figure out if there was a privy, or how the Trail was really supposed to enter & leave the shelter area.
Date: 2015-07-09
From: Wilson Valley Lean-to

To: Monson, Maine
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: few clouds

Up & out as early as I could. A bit more trail work beckoned, but eventually I got to a place where everything seemed in better condition. Not far from the highway, I met the maintainer for that section, thanked him, & gave him some suggestions to pass on to the maintainer of the next section back.Leeman Brook is a very beautiful setting, but I didn't stay long. Much of the morning was spent on little ups & downs & on slate ledges [Monson used to have a major slate industry]. Those are easy to grip if walking in the edges, but slippery if on a flat face. On the way, I also met Jax, Styles, Bruin, & Crumbs. I stopped to look at the pond where Susan met me 2 years ago, surprising me by venturing a little bit into the wilderness. The ford a few yards in from the parking lot now has an actual bridge!I met a man with a boat trailer dropping his son off to hike while he fished for a week; so he gave me a ride into town. I stayed at the Lakeshore House & spent the afternoon doing laundry & eating. The other hikers there included Gus & Silver Fox, & eventually Biscuit, Pan, & some others showed up. One woman was there recuperating for several days from illness. I'm taking all day off tomorrow.
Date: 2015-07-10
From: Monson, Maine

To: Monson, Maine
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Lakeshore House has good food for lunch & supper but doesn't do breakfast. So I went to Shaw's to get one of the most complete hiker breakfasts on the Trail. I met a number of section & thru hikers, plus some of the [12-person!] support team for a man trying to set a new record for doing the AT:46 days of running.He actually passed thru the area in the middle of the night, getting about 4 hours of sleep per night-- some who saw him said he was like a zombie at that point. Doesn't sound like a fun way to do the Trail. I got to spend some time at the library in the afternoon, updating my journal entries. Otherwise, lots of loafing, plus stocking up on some things locally in addition to my mail-drop. The hostel has kayaks you can take out on the lake, so I did that for about an hour. My arms did all right, but it's quite a big lake, so I didn't cover all of it. Getting out of the kayak with stiff legs, I managed to land in the water.
Date: 2015-07-11
From: Monson, Maine

To: Moxie Bald Mtn Lean-to
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I arranged to get a ride to the Trail at 7:00, after I had a good breakfast at Pete's place, next to the hostel. This is designed to be an easy day of fairly flat country. I stopped for lunch at Horseshoe Bend Lean-to [named for the U-shaped bend in the river at that point].Thru the day, I met Crane & Papa Crane [from Israel], MoJo [from Asheville], Eddie Spudatzo, Cruise Control, Avery (left Moxie Bald at 11:30!), Twisted [60, from Sheboygan], & Luke Trailwalker.I started at 7:11 at Rt 15; by 10:28 I was at Shirley-Blanchard Road. At 11:00 I was across the first ford. There I saw some red-headed ducks, but they didn't hold still for a photo.At first, it's a pleasant walk along the stream (last time, I was hurrying to meet Susan), then it gets hilly: still pretty views but ups & downs. Not far from the lean-to, I saw my first poison ivy in Maine [didn't see any more]. The trail was so nice I wore my 5-toes up from the ford for a while ¢ they're comfortable if there are not many rocks or roots to land on in the mid-foot area. There were a couple of major blow-downs -- not even tempting -- tho I did some other cutting later. Going my way were Gus & Silver Fox, Rock Man, & a group of 13-15-year-olds from a summer camp: the kids hike 7 weeks on the AT, starting at Katahdin!The second ford was not difficult, but the rope was positioned so as to be of no help to SOBOs. Soon after, I found my first "Trail Magic", a cooler of grape & orange soda left there by a former thru-hiker. Next, I met 2 men & a woman [section-hikers] & found out that she was Laurie Potteiger, a long-time fixture in the Appalachian Trail office in Harpers Ferry. I asked how the name was pronounced: POT-TIGER [2 syllables accented almost equally]. At the shelter I met SS Britman, finishing his last section: Kent - Katahdin. Bald Mtn Pond is a pretty little lake, with the loudest bullfrogs I've ever heard. Gus & Silver Fox are trying to get across the Kennebec River tomorrow. I don't think I will; two mtns come first.
Date: 2015-07-12
From: Moxie Bald Mtn Lean-to

To: Pleasant Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

There was rain during the night. It soaked in, but the fir needles were wet all morning. I did the 2 miles to top of Moxie Bald in 2 hours [with the camp kids right behind me]. Not only were there blueberries blooming, some were getting fruit already. I met Sticks, Bandit & Freeball, Sunshine & Frost, & did some cutting of blow-downs along the way down.Pleasant Pond Mtn was much harder. It seemed to go on forever, without any water sources either. I was carrying just enough to cook lunch on the way up. The top was a little unclear, blaze-wise, & the best views were other places. Some things needed to be cut up there, but once I started down [pretty rapidly] I just kept walking. Naturally, Pleasant Pond Lean-to has a pond! I got a dip in the lake after reaching the shelter. Two women with dogs were there, whom I had seen at the top of the Mtn., where they had given us some directions. They said the temperature had been 87!At the shelter: Blue Collar, Chewy, Shay [Che?], Seal Dog, Dao, a guy from Israel, & the camp group again. Rock Man showed up from the North.
Date: 2015-07-13
From: Pleasant Pond Lean-to

To: West Carry Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: overcast clouds

6 miles of level trail to Carratunk & the ferry. Lots more rocks, roots, & stream crossings (plus a substantial hill climb) than I remembered. Rock Man was claiming better Trail legs than other SOBOs because he started in the South, got off for illness, & then re-started at Katahdin. I guess that's a reminder to me that even tho I was feeling run down when I came thru here 2 years ago, my legs were in better shape than so far this year. Before the road I met Star Man, a 1200 mile section-hiker. Then, at or near the ferry, Mango, Sunshine, Dopey, Cruise. Chef, Frodo, Laugh-Track, Stealth (who actually forded the river, swimming only a little), Bossa Nova, Medicine Man, Smokes, Red. The camp group slowed things up in my direction, but there were lots of NOBOs also going across in the canoe, 2 at a time. The most frustrating hiker I met there was "10-Year" (a section hiker completing North end of Trail). He said he was from Columbus, Ohio, & I said he looked like someone I had met in Georgia 2 years ago; but He seemed to be in a hurry, & I just couldn't think of ways to open up more conversation. Then I thought all afternoon about things I might have said. When I did the next section 7 years ago, I tired very quickly & decided to stay at Pierce Pond Lean-to. I can see why. It's an uphill 3 miles, along a pretty stream with lots of waterfalls but few photo ops. I stopped by Harrison's camp (serves breakfast to hikers), just to say Hi, but no one was thereThen there was a lengthy trek along East & West Carry Ponds [& a near-miss on Middle Carry], lakes that had been part of the early water transportation system. I also passed the trail where Benedict Arnold led American troops to an attack on Quebec, early in the Revolutionary War. After some more trail work [especially some dead-falls that blocked boardwalks thru swampy areas], I got to the next shelter at 9:00, in bed by 10.
Date: 2015-07-14
From: West Carry Pond Lean-to

To: Safford Notch Campsite
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Dreamer & Rock Man were the only others at the shelter. I can see why the name: Dreamer was hoping to get to the ferry, 14 miles, in 4 hours!Early on, I met Lorax, Sweaty, Archangel, & Ridge Rambler. Getting warm early going up Roundtop. Lots of saw work evident on blow-downs. My services won't be required. Good, because I have another big day. A little later, I met Magnum, Bullet, & Animal, plus Gimpy at the end of Little Bigelow. I wondered if Bullet was Magnum's son[Someone later told me he was], but they added to my list of people from Columbus with no time to talk. Probably trying to make the afternoon ferry. On the way up to Little Bigelow Lean-to, I Talked with a trail maintainer who'd been doing some trimming. I thanked him but forgot to mention the much-improved blazing down at the last road crossing. It was very confusing 2 years ago.Going up Little Bigelow was a steady climb upon ledge rock. That was kind of fun: Straight, dry granite, right up the Mtn. If I don't have to bend my knee, it doesn't hurt. I went up leaning forward, without the waist belt. Worked better. Keep that pack weight forward. So many false summits. So much space between the mtns.My original plan had been to try to get over the mtns to Horns Ponds Lean-to. Then I thought I'd settle for Avery tent site between the 2 peaks. It was warm & sunny till mid-afternoon. Then came enough rain to make some of the rocks a little slippery. I still thought I was doing well enough to get over the mtns or at least to Avery campsite up on top. But as the afternoon dragged on, with no end to Little Bigelow, I saw that I wasn't going to make it. That was good timing because about then I started seeing opportunities for trail work. I ended up at Safford Notch, before the main peaks. You had to go under a big rock to get to a crummy campsite, with a few section hikers. I even did some clearing on the way in. No map or other explanation of where to camp. The water & the privy were on the same path, giving the impression that the water was downhill from the toilet. Didn't sound good to me. Rained some during the night
Date: 2015-07-15
From: Safford Notch Campsite

To: Stratton, Maine
Miles today: 10.4

I wanted an early start [to get over the mtns & have more time in town], so I woke up at 4:30. It was still pretty dark down in the notch. A little dripping from trees. I got back in the tent -- while I ate breakfast, it sounded like some new rain. The rest of the morning, it sounded like rain; so I wore the poncho for part of the time. It covers my pack, but it also gets in the way climbing rocks.Climbing rocks is what I was doing all day. In contrast with the multiple summits on Little Bigelow, the two big Bigelow Peaks are basically just up, up, up, & over [4,000-footers]. More varied kinds of rocks to climb. I started off at 6:15 & made it over Avery Peak & down into the col before 9:30. That means that if I had kept going last night & not spent time on Trail work, I could have been up to that campsite soon after dark [It gets dark later up on top]. I met a photographer coming up around 11:00, but no NOBOs till 11:45! By then, I was down past the Horns Ponds Lean-tos. They were Dizzy, Mozart, & Peetity. They looked worn out already from the trip up that far. Last time I came thru, I just made it up from the road to Horns Ponds, only 5 miles, & stopped for supper & ended up staying the night. I thought it was mostly that heavy rain discouraged me from going on up & over the first peak, but I was probably also pretty tired.Getting over the horns & down actually involved a lot of up-hills, so I got to taste how rugged it is in the other direction. My knee was bothering me quite a bit both up & downhill. Near the road, I met a family from Massachusetts hiking back from a picnic. They gave me a ride into town. I actually had time to spend an hour at the library computer.I saw Gus & Silver Fox leaving town as I came in, & Rock Man was at the hostel. The others were NOBOs.