morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-08-16
From: Bald Mountain Brook

To: Monson, Maine
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: broken clouds

We decided last night that we would try and be on trail by 6 am this morning.   We have 21 miles to go to get to Monson and a reservation at Shaws for a rest day don't you know. I think I've mentioned before how drastically motivating it is when you've been out a while and are heading in to a town. We were hoping to make it in to Monson before the restaurants closed. Very important. It really helped that the terrain was again relatively flattened. Oh, it was undulating, but the key word is relatively. We had a bunch more for rested walking but had some lakes thrown in to sort of spice things up. We hit the road to Monson at about 3:30pm. We know we are still out of condition, but when there is food and the prospect of a shower and clean clothes involved, apparently we still have what it takes. Anyone remember the song 'Do the Hustle'? Well that was us today.   We gave the Shaws Hostel a call and they sent Bjorn out to pick us up.We have heard a bunch of really good things about this place and we are hoping they are all true. We booked one night but checked with Kim when we got here to see if they had availability for a second so we could zero. We were in luck, they did.So we picked up the boxes we sent ourselves here, took a shower, did the laundry and then went out to eat at the Lakeshore Restaurant.   Great food there by the way. We recommend it if you are ever in Monson. Then it was back to Shaws and into bed. A very full and satisfying day I would say, wouldn't you? Catch you later!Road Runner
Date: 2016-08-17
From: Monson, Maine

To: Monson
Miles today: 0.0

We had a great zero at Shaws. Poet and Hippiechick are very welcoming and put on a great breakfast. Three eggs, bacon, home fried potatoes and all you can eat blueberry pancakes.We had dinner both nights at the Lakeshore.   Good food. There isn't much in Monson so we didn't spend a lot of energy wandering around. RR read a book.We sent ourselves resupply boxes. Once we sorted the food out, we kicked back and relaxed.It is on to the 100 Mile Wilderness tomorrow.   Monson is the last resupply town. So we are on the home stretch. We are hoping to summit Katahdin on the 23rd or 24th.Will
Date: 2016-08-18
From: Monson

To: Long Pond Stream
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: moderate rain

Today was a lazy kind of day. We slept in and then had another great breakfast at Shaws By the time we got a shuttle back to the trail it was 9 o'clock. We are giving ourselves 5 full days to complete the 100 Mile Wilderness seeing how out of shape we are. We are starting to get our legs back but we are nowhere near where we were when we left the trail in June in Stratton.   The climbs are a real slog for us now.We entered the 100 Mile Wilderness early on and read the warning sign that there were no facilities for the next 100 miles and help would be slow in arriving in case of an injury. The trail undulated over the rocks and roots and we passed several ponds. It was a beautiful sunny day, humid but cooler in the forest. Water wasn't an issue with the recent rainsWe quit early near Long Pond Stream. We have a nice secluded spot on the river with the afternoon sunlight filtering through the trees. It's bean burritos for dinner. We plan on taking it easy for 3 days and then picking up the mileage when the trail levels out heading into Baxter SP Will
Date: 2016-08-19
From: Long Pond Stream

To: West Branch of Pleasant River
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

I for one am very glad that we allowed for a softer pace upon our return. The 100 Mile Wilderness is touted as I mentioned as a very easy stretch of trail. But so far I'm not seeing it. And if I can find the hiker I mentioned the other day named Grandma, I'm going to tell him' I told you so!' right to his face. Of course the other AT hikers that we see are zipping right along. It may hurt our egos a bit but we know that we just don't have the conditioning we need right now to be in the state of zippy. It seems that they ran out of interesting names for mountains in this neck of the woods because they resorted to calling them Third Mountain and Fourth Mountain and stuff like that. It was while hiking the Fourth Mountain that Will came up with a trail name for himself.   We were in what is called the Fourth Mountain Bog, walking along the wooden planks provided for us by the AT trail crew. One moment we were walking down the planks, the next Will was flying through the air. He looked like an elite gymnast. He did a half pike rotation and landed on his back in the Bog.While he was soaking wet he was not hurt. So that was very good. He had actually rotated his body to land on his back so it would be a softer landing.   We didn't really talk about it right then he just picked himself up and we continued to hike. But about 5 or 10 minutes later, you guessed it, he started laughing out loud.   He could see the whole thing in minds eye and it was very funny. On this one I did join him. There is something contagious about laughter have you ever noticed? Well, anyway that's when he decided that his trail name could be Fourth Mountain Bog Man.   Kind of catchy don't you think?And on that note, I think I'll turn in. I'm exhausted. Catch you later!Road Runner
Date: 2016-08-20
From: West Branch of Pleasant River

To: Little Boardman Mountain 
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: few clouds

Some days you got it, some days you don't.   Today was one of those days where it was a struggle all day long. The climbing was one big grunt. Annie could have easily tacked on another 5 miles but I was a big ball and chain slowing us down.We started out from our pretty site on the river with a gradual climb. We were going from 600 feet to 3600 feet at White Cap Mt. But in between there were 3 little ups and downs that added another 1000 feet of climbing. RR would get way ahead and then have to wait for me as I laboriously ascended, sucking wind all the way, my legs shot. BummerWe had exquisite views from the peak of White Cap. It was a popular rest area. From there we descended to 1200 feet at the east branch of the Pleasant River. Then we had one final climb up to Little Boardman Mt where we rolled out the ground sheet and set up our cowboy camp. Today was another sunny day. This is our 3rd night in a row that we have been able to cowboy camp. It is near full moon. It gets really bright after midnight. We could get rain tomorrow. We are thankful for the recent run of great hiking weather. Nice cooling breeze up high and the shade of the forest is most welcome, especially on a day where we climbed 5000 feet. We are already starting to see the leaves falling from the trees, so fall can't be too far off. We got some great views of Katahdin today. It dominates the landscape. We have set ourselves up for two good days of hiking and then a possible summit push onthe 23rd depending on the weatherWill
Date: 2016-08-21
From: Little Boardman Mountain 

To: Nahmakanta Lake
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: light rain

I don't think Will told you about this, but we had planned to stop earlier last night since there was another 600 feet of climbing and we had already done a bunch of that thank you very much. But the campsite we hoped for after the dinner lake we stopped at never materialized and so we did indeed make the unwanted climb.Fortunately, there was a small slanted spot at the top to cowboy camp or we would have had to keep walking. However, in the morning things looked brighter because we had already done the climb and our happy feet could scamper down hill to start the day.This would turn out to be one of our easier hiking days, relatively speaking. We hiked steadily until we reached the Nahmakanta Lake. It was a bit early for dinner but I spied an empty picnic table near the lake. What a luxury! Somewhere to actually sit down on to eat at. And you can spread out your food without putting it on dirt too! So we stopped and ate our dinner there. Very nice. We moved on, hiking just off the Lakeshore or sometimes the trail wound along the beach itself. Multiple brightly colored canoes were bobbing about the lake giving it a sort of festive feel. A lot of hikers told us that they were headed for the Wadleigh shelter tonight so we figured it would be fairly crowded in and around that area. So when we saw a very cool single campsite just off the lake we snapped it up. We can hear the waves gently lapping at the shore. We have set up our tent since the forecast is rain. As darkness covers the lake, the Loons begin their haunting calls. They have such a mournful cry and there is no mistaking who is making it. It echos across the water bidding us good night. And so in like manner I bid you a bon soire.
Date: 2016-08-22
From: Nahmakanta Lake

To: Abol Pines CG
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We had a great campsite on Lake Nahmakanta last night. The loons serenaded us until we fell asleep. The winds picked up and then the rains came around 3 AM. It poured and when it didn't look like it would let up anytime soon we bit the bullet and packed up. We headed out into the rain at 6:30 AM. Fortunately it was warm so that the rain didn't present a huge problem.We had another relatively easy day with  some undulating terrain but for the most part the trail was flat. Not as easy as yesterday due to the wet roots and rocks. The rain stopped around noon but it remained overcast most of the day so we never were able to dry out the tent.As we hiked along the shore of Rainbow lake, RR must have stirred up a hornets nest with her trekking pole. One minute she was hiking peaceably down the trail, the next she was in a full blown retreat screaming and shrieking. She got about 10-12 hornet stings about her face and arms. She had dropped her poles and when I went to retrieve them, I got my share of stings. I retrieved my poles and one of RR'so but we had to leave one. The hornets won that round.We cruised in to Abol bridge. We picked up some food at the CG store and then went over to the restaurant for dinner. The food was pricey but the quality was good. We each had a bowl of New England Clam Chowder and a Chicken Breast sandwich. We bumped into several thruhikers who had also sustained multiple hornet stings in the same area at Rainbow lake. Tough day for hikers.After dinner we moved across the road to Abol Pines CG. It was vacant. We found a nice shelter along the river. We strung up the tent to dry, hung up our wet clothes and hunkered down for the night.We are set up perfectly for our summit attempt on Katahdin.   We fly back home to Arizona on the 25th, so we have two days to complete our hike. We are 10 miles from Katahdin Stream CG where one checks in with the rangers and begins the ascent of Katahdin.   If we get an early start tomorrow and make those 10 miles, get our permit and the weather looks favorable, then we will attempt to summit.   If the weather isn't all that great, then we will grab a campsite at the Birches Lean To Shelter, hang out and get some rest and then head up to Katahdin on Wednesday the 24th. It is nice to have multiple options and an extra day to sort things out.Will
Date: 2013-10-26
To: First Post
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Hello!I suppose my first post should be the post to introduce myself. My name is Ben, though I suppose the nickname of Fancy suffices.I grew up in Florida and spent the majority of my formative years there, including four and a half years at Florida State's College of Music. I worked at Starbucks for a time (best two years of my life), and am now enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. I get out in March of 2016, at which point I will be thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail in what I'm hoping will be a rediscovery of self-expression and inward discovery. The calendar lines up perfectly between my end of active service and my return to college the following late August. That gives me a little less than five months to get from Springer Mountain to Mt. Katahdin.
Date: 2013-10-26
To: Second Post
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

As a Marine, I admit I have the advantage of training constantly in a manner that certainly helps with distance backpacking. Fighting through pain, physical fitness, field craft, carrying large amounts of weight for long distances quickly--these are all practiced on a regular basis. However, as a Marine there is also the problem of unintentional pride and stubbornness. If I have a lot of knee pain or blisters, I fight through it until I either don't care anymore or it goes away. I bite off far more than I should, then end up choking on it in an attempt to show that I can chew it.My gear selection will be researched in the field and online over the next two years in preparation for this. My aim is to have a base pack weight of 20 pounds, though knowing myself all too well, this may increase.
Date: 2013-10-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

As I said in my first entry, I'm appoaching the Trail with a hope for renewal of self-expression and inward discovery. As a Navajo would enter the desert on a Spirit Quest or a 19th Century German masonry apprentice would journey from town to town in his search for craftmanship, I will be on my own path to find my true voice in this ever-growing glot of global civilzation and instantaneous information transfer.We, as a human species still have a very long, prosperous future ahead of us, and with the endeavors of such people as John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt, we will enjoy the first Church for a very long time. This quest is simply my way of drawing from that infinite well of inspiration.I hope to make contact with a few fellow hikers before 2016 comes around. Spring 2014 I should start posting gear reviews.A soft green zephyrCalling softly through the whiteFor the walk draws nigh.
Date: 2014-07-22
To: Updates
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

It's been a successful spring and early summer as far as gear tests have gone. Three days in Shenandoah and a few days out and about in North Carolina has given me some insight on my current arrangement.First, the Osprey Kestrel 48 is an awesome pack as far as gear carriage and comfort goes. It didn't feel like I was carrying a pack; it felt like I was a few pounds heavier. However, (I blame it on the Corps spoiling me) I like to strap things to the outside. My tent, my mat, my sleeping bag, a couple of pouches... The Kestrel has a serious lack of straps. There's two in the front good for a tent, and there's a couple on each side that don't work for anything, really, besides maybe a camp stool. The side pockets and dust cover work well enough, but I'd like more. I'll most likely shop for packs again.I thought a two-person tent would be great for a bit of spacious luxury, and if the need arose, would provide shelter for someone else. It's up in two minutes, down in three and has--just as I wanted--a cavernous interior and roomy vestibules. It has a single H-style pole for its frame and a small cross-bar. Both of which snap into shape almost immediately. The fabric hooks onto the frame and the cover goes on top. Despite its unfortunate weight (5.4 lbs, if I remember correctly), I'm still considering it for the hike, simply because it's the best tent I've ever owned.I'm considering taking boots off the gear list. Well, I'm considering taking footwear off. A trip to (and on...and in) frozen Lake Michigan in March involving four miles in knee-deep snow and forty miles in North Carolinian Piedmont barefoot, and fifty miles on the Shenandoah in Reef flip-flops have started to convince me that my feet are tough. Very tough. And seeing as how this is as much an emotional and spiritual journey as much as a physical one, bare feet would only highlight the positive aspects of it. I would still have a pair of air-cushioned sandals as a back up, but a full barefoot trek is starting to gnaw in the back of my mind. I need to decide quickly, as training for something like this will take around a year of pain and soreness.
Date: 2015-05-07
To: Barefeet
Miles today: 0.0

Mid-February, a couple of months ago, I traveled to Asheville and the Smokies for a final weekend of beer, people and hiking before a three month jaunt to California for the Marine Corps' female integration assessment (I'm not exactly entitled to a public opinion on this matter until the DoD makes a decision come January.). It was a memorable time to say the least, as I finally made my way to Wicked Weed Brewery, and I aced a basket at Richmond Hills disc golf course. Mostly, though, I made the decision on footwear for the AT...I got a late start the morning of the 14th, it was a rather frigid morning and the Wicked Weed's yeasty product from their Funkatorium was still fogging my head. I pulled into the parking lot for the Alum Cave Bluffs Trail around one in the afternoon and set off with warming layers, a twenty pound weight, water, food and a camera on me, and with my flip-flops in the car. The first four miles are excellent: I'm getting an excellent quad-burn, my calves are nice and loose and my lungs are pistoning; and the mountains are in awesome condition without a soul around (except one other hiker a couple of hours ahead of me), good snow coverage above thirty-five hundred feet and some fresh bobcat and deer tracks. The ambient temperature is hovering around 40 degrees. A little before three o'clock hits, a patch of hidden ice takes my left foot while my right foot is firmly placed behind a rock. Instinctually, I lean forward and try to roll, but it's too late. My right foot turns inward awkwardly and I feel a sharp bite of pain on the outside. Being so close to the cliff tops, I push on with a slow limp. A spend some time up there warming my feet with my fleece gloves and beenie and wondering why I forsook my first-aid kit. Once I start the descent, I realize that I've wasted a lot of time, allowing the sun to set and the temperature to drop. Once the temperature drops below freezing, my feet are no longer on "invincible" status. After around four hours of pain and adrenaline, I return to my car. I turn the heat on full blast and aim it at my feet while driving back to my hotel in Asheville. Feeling doesn't fully return, and where it does, it's a horrible aching sting. Frostbite. It takes about two weeks for the pain and blisters to subside, and another three weeks for the eschar to slough off. They have made a full recovery, and I've now learned my feet's current breaking point as far as temperature goes. It took a near-disaster to give myself the push towards the decision: I will feel every mile, every yard, every stone of the Appalachian Trail with the soles of my feet.Over the next ten months, I'll be following a training plan to develop firm, supple callouses on my feet, and to tone and strengthen the musculature and connective tissue. It'll be rough, but it'll be worth it. Pain builds character.
Date: 2015-10-29
To: Pre-hike Updates
Miles today: 0.0

I've spent seven of my last ten months in the deserts of California. Beautiful, dangerous, hostile, dream-like. The sunsets are blends of color unable to ever be recreated, even by the ancient sky creature dreaming the clouds into existence; the skies at night are swirls of indigo and black and the non-color of a million champagne diamonds flung into infinity; the heat of the June sun and the formidable breezes of late October are but a moment lost in the great temporal dust-devil controlling the slow weathering of the mountains and the carving of the canyons. I truly love it out here.My plans for the Trail are all but cemented in place. My savings account, my gear, my feet are all in order. My family and friends are prepared. The mountains' call is louder than ever. Soon, all too soon, I shall be stepping off on the greatest adventure the East Coast has to offer.For those that have signed my guestbook, I thank you. They have all been read and appreciated. For those that I will meet along the way, I wish you well, and may Trail bring us together in the best possible ways.Fair weather and following trails.
Date: 2016-03-26
From: Amicalola Falls State Park

To: Springer Mountain
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

The day started in a hotel near the base of I-985. My mother and her dog, my brother, my sister-in-law, and my niece all joined me to Amicalola Falls State Park to see me off. The falls had a beautiful overview from the top of the cascades, and it was there I said farewell, for what I thought was only a day. They had planned to meet me at the top of Springer Mountain the next morning.While the hike started damp and foggy, the rain slowly crept up, the ceiling eventually enveloping the trail. A portion was hiked with another potential thru-hiker, Tyler, from West Virginia. He was building his trail legs, and I was building my trail feet, so our pace was similar. The climbs and descents were moderate, but the amount of fist-sized talus and sticks did an efficient job destroying what calluses I had built up.Atop Springer, I ran into some day campers with a large fire going. At enthusiast, Mountain Squid, had plenty of advice on the next few miles of trail, and the upcoming shelters. He showed me the Trail log and the first official blaze, and we parted ways.I chose a campsite away from The shelter--It was crowded and noisy--against a log with a sturdy pine branch for my food bag. I wrote a short letter to Julie and bedded down early, rolling my sleeping bag in my tarp, trying to beat the upcoming downpour. I fell asleep to the sound of wind moving through the bare branches, and rain pattering against my tarp. I thought of Julie, Tallahassee, Pensacola, my friends and family that I wouldn't see for at least four months.
Date: 2016-03-27
From: Springer Mountain

To: Hawk Mountain
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: scattered clouds

The day began late. Despite the tarp, the rain soaked through the foot off my sleeping bag, pruning my feet, and adding at least five pounds to my already heavy pack.The vista looking west from Springer was obscured by fog and cloud, but the lifeless trees and leafy ground cover adopted a dreary, ghastly pall. The Trail slowly vanished into a vapor-white sheer: the mystery of what lies ahead, something beautiful and hallowed. I was anxious to begin.I was planning on meeting my family on the pinnacle, at the startpoint, but conditions along the forest road prevented their arrival. I didn't begin the hike until around 11, but it allowed me to meet a few hikers: Kernal, a man in his late fifties who kept to himself, but seemed at peace; a section hiker in his late twenties, soon to depart to Lithuania for a job; and several others, all looking to find themselves in Maine in the coming months.The Trail took me through rhododendron tunnels, pine and fir forests with thick trunks and high canopies, across a mile of rough gravel, and down easy rolling paths. One of the more beautiful hikes I remember.At the Hawk Mountain shelter, I ran into Tyler again, though he was pushing for Justus Creek a few miles up. I decided to call an early day to catch up on some writing. After an early dinner, I talked to a family of section hikers trying to complete the Trail in the father's lifetime, as well as two thru-hikers, Cara-Pace and Scully. While the shelter was already full, there was plenty of space to camp.The sleeping bag was still wet, but with the tarp retained all the heat I needed. As I was trying to go to sleep, a boisterous married couple start willing and getting on their cell phone to what I assume was their daughter--I know her gender because they had her on speaker phone. It was their first time hiking, and couldn't contain their excitement about how hard it was, and how beautiful it was. I'm truly glad for their experience, but please, for the love of the mountains, learn some manners.A side note: I ate all my Easter candy. I live with no shame.