morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-09-15
From: White House Landing

To: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: few clouds

I got up early to wash clothes using the tub, scrub board and wringer. I hung them out on the line hoping they might dry a bit while we packed and ate breakfast. They didn't. We took our boat ride back to the trail at 9:15 after a good breakfast. We were doing fairly well with miles until we stopped at one of the road crossings and chatted with a nice young man who had been coming to ME since he was seven years old. He showed us video on his camera of his climb to Katahdin the day before. A bat was dive bombing us as we chatted. It was strange to see one during the day and we wondered if it might have rabies.    Shortly after that, we stopped at Natmakanta Lake to eat our lunch. It was nice to have food again after our resupply at White House Landing. Two other hikers were there, Catapillar and Critter. Critter took a dip in the lake. That really looked fun, and if I hadn't just had a shower yesterday, I would have gone in too. There were several sandy beaches that were hard to resist. Gary wasn't feeling well, proabably due to the sudden change of diet, so we stopped early, built a fire and tried to dry out the clothes I had washed earlier.   We have a nice tent site here and had a good supper. Two hikers going south on a flip flop to Monson stopped by for rest and a chat. I really enjoyed the day. It will be hard to go back to normal life. 38.2 miles to go.
Date: 2004-09-16
From: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to

To: Rainbow Spring Campsite
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: broken clouds

It was great sleeping last night, just the right temperature and very quiet.The first part of the hike went through big rock ledges covered with moss. They reminded me of some of the ledges we have in OH. Then we went by a rushing stream that cascaded over the rocks for several miles with whirlpools and rapids. We gotto Rainbow Stream Lean-to about 3:00 and chatted with Lizard and Loon. They had done Katahdin and were heading to Andover. It would complete Loon's 5th AT hike.Lizzard had done the whole trail before but was only doing this section this year. Gunstock also came while we were there. He was staying the night at the shelter then hiking south.   We walked on past Rainbow Lake to the campsite. Pete and Sugarfoot, section hikers were there and had a nice fire going. Sugarfoot had hiked the whole AT in '93 and the two of them had done the hundred mile wilderness almost every year since. We enjoyed talking with them about the trail and zoos. Pete is a vet for a zoo near Boston. It is hard to believe we only have 3 more days left on the AT.   I saw two deer today and tonight the loons were singing away. I will miss this.
Date: 2004-09-17
From: Rainbow Spring Campsite

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

The day started with a drizzle of rain about 6 AM, but it only lasted about an hour. We skipped breakfast to get going by 7:35. The hike was pretty easy, and we took some breaks to talk with some section hikers and flip floppers going south. We saw Thirty-thirty and Giggles a couple of times today. They were camped with us last night and plan to summit tomorrow.   When we crossed the bridge and saw Katahdin, it was a pretty emotional experience. Pilot, Polar and Hot Rock were right behind me, and Pilot's parents met them as they crossed the bridge. At this point I could actually believe that our journey was almost at an end.   We stopped after crossing Abol Bridge and bought some real food at the little campground store there. We saw Bones who had finished his hike and was waiting for a ride to Monson. We got a campsite in the campground, had a shower, and ate a whole pack of hot dogs for supper along with a can of baked beans.   Tomorrow we will walk the 9 miles to Baxter State Park, spend the night at the base of Katahdin and finish our hike on Sunday. We hope to get a hitch into town when we are done.
Date: 2004-09-18
From: Abol Bridge

To: The Birches
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: light rain

We got coffee and pastry for breakfast from the little store. A man was there to check in a bear he had shot. He seemed very proud of his achievement in shooting it. I couldn't help but feel sad seeing the black form in the back of his truck.      We saw the ridge runner, Dave as we entered Baxter Park and he gave us information about staying at the Birches. He had done the whole trail in '02 with the trail name, Pop Tart. It was fun talking with him. A little while later, we crossed a bridge and saw five ducks with brown heads and white and black wings. They went down a little water fall with their wings flapping while they swam. They looked like kids having fun on a water slide. It was neat to see.      Later, I heard movement in the trees and spotted a cow moose feeding on the branches by the side of the trail. In a few minutes, another hiker came down the trail toward me and a calf bolted through the trees to be with its mother. I got a good look at both of them. The hiker turned out to be a ranger. I waited watching the cow and calf until Relentless came. Then we both watched them for a bit. I was glad we got to see them.   The trail was really easy and fun walking along the river and past ponds. Day hikers stopped to talk with us and congratulate us on finishing our hike. Some guys in a truck gave Relentless a beer for each of us to help us celebrate.      When we got to Katahdin, we registered with the ranger and went to the Birches, a campsite for only long distance hikers. We are here with Hot Rock and Polar and two other hikers. We built a nice fire and enjoyed a good supper of canned spaghetti and meatballs that I packed in from the store. Earlier we had cheese and crackers, good stuff. Better than our ususal rice and noodle meals.    Once again, I get the feeling that this journey can't be ending. No more planning, filtering water, putting up our tent, sleeping in our sleeping bags, cooking on our alcohol stove. We will be going home to our house, and it will seem strange to be there. The daily concerns about water, food and shelter will fade into the background. We will move down the highway at 65 mph instead of hiking down the trail at 1.5 or 2 mph. We will take the comforts of civilization for granted again, and the sound of the loon will seem a distant memory until we come again to this beautiful wild place.
Date: 2004-09-19
From: The Birches

To: Millinocket
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

We got up at 6 AM and were on the trail by 7:30. The first part of the trail to Katahdin was fairly easy, and we made good time. The weather was cool and as we approached treeline, it started to drizzle a bit. When we were about ten min. from treeline, we found Pilot, Polar, Hot Rock and Pilot's brother stopped by the side of the trail. They had been to the treeline and come back down. They were wet and cold and reported that it was sleeting up on the mountain. They decided to wait until tomorrow to go to the summit. Being cautious hikers, we also decided that this was not to be our summit day. I was disappointed in not being able to finish the hike, but the thought of cold wet slippery rocks was enough to convince me that going up that mountain was not something I wanted to do today.   We hiked back down, had some lunch then started looking for a ride to town.We were lucky not to have a long wait for a ride. Two ME kayakers made room for us in their truck. They had done all of the AT in ME and had climbed Katahdin many times. Their trail names were Hot Lips and Hawkeye because they were a nurse and a surgeon. They not only took us to town but gave us good advice about climbing Katahdin and helped us decide how we would get back to the trail in the morning.    We enjoyed the comforts of the Katahdin Inn, restaurants and IGA. We even were able to wash our clothes- Finally!
Date: 2004-09-20
From: Katahdin Springs Campground

To: Baxter Peak
Miles today: 5.2

The cab came at 7:30 to take us to the trail. It was a beautiful day, sunny but cool. As we drove to the park, we could see the top of the mountain in the sunlight. Checking the weather at the ranger station, we saw that this was a class I day- the best!   The climb to treeline was easy and familiar since we had done most of it yesterday. The climb from treeline to the the tableland was pretty tough, lots of big rock climbs, some that had metal rods in the rock to help us get up the cliffs. The view was just grand! The hundred mile wilderness with its lakes and ponds stretches out from the mountain, and we were surrounded by the beauty of ME in every direction. I was a bit scared of the rocks, but I was determined to make it to the top. As we approached the summit, we were passed by thru-hikers coming back down, Pilot, Polar, Fireball, Ponderer, Hot Rock. They had gotten an earlier start and we congratulated each other. Everyone was really excited to have finally finished the journey and awed by the beauty that surrounded us. When we got to the top, other hikers took our pictures for us and congratulated us. I played my Native American flute in celebration of our hike, all the beauty we had seen and the wonderful people we had met.   We started out our hike with a kiss on Springer MT. and ended it with a kiss beneath the Katahdin sign.       I really didn't want to go down the AT if there was an easier way. I had heard that the Saddle trail did not have the big rock climbs, so we went down that trail. Relentless wasn't happy with this trail because it had a lot of loose rock like a rock slide, but it was easier for me. When we got to treeline, we still had a ways to go to get to the parking lot where we could get a ride to town. The cab driver had suggested that a ranger could radio the front gate and call him for us, but the ranger refused. Fortunately, we were able to get a ride with two really neat hikers who had gone up the Saddle trail and come down the Knife's Edge. Jeff and Maria were great fun to talk with on the way back to town. He is writing a book on loop hikes in NH and ME.      It was a relief to have finished our journey, but also a little sad. The AT has been a wonderful part of our lives for the past two years.       We were glad to be able to call our children to tell them that we had made it and would be home soon.
Date: 2004-02-17
To: Heading Home
Miles today: 0.0

This is my first entry and it comes at a point when I am getting ready to cross back over the ocean from my 7 month deployment in Kosovo. The plan right now is to be on Springer Mt. on March 23rd (my 40th B-day). Hopefully, all the planning I have done over here will pay off and the last minute plans back home will lead to a successful adventure.
Date: 2004-03-05
To: Delayed start
Miles today: 0.0

Well, I am finally back on US soil. Unfortunately, due to delays at the outprocessing site, I am going to have to delay the start of my hike a few days.I also want to add a note that this is a dual journal. My sister-in-law, Barb, and I are hiking together. She wants me to keep the journal, I guess she thinks I am a decent writer. I am going to try and keep this thing up-to-date as much as possible. My brother is going to do the trancribing when I can't get to a library to update myself. He will also be posting some of the beautiful photos I hope to take.Planning is progressing. I am still working on the mail drops, number and location. I went shopping yesterday and spent $500 at Sam's on bulk stuff. I bought 144 snickers bars, that ought to last a week or two. I think I have all the gear I need, except for some extra socks, a summer bag and a liner for both bags. Barb was nice enough to seam seal my tent today, one less task. I am breaking in my second pair of boots, so they will be ready when I need them. I am planning on switching back and forth between my Lowa Kibos and Renegades depending on weather and terrain. I know this last three weeks is going to go fast.
Date: 2004-03-25
To: Almost ready
Miles today: 0.0

Barb and I are almost ready to go on our journey. We have bought everything we think we need and are finalizing the packing and mail drops. We are heading to GA on Saturday. We plan to wander around Amicalola Falls State Park on Sunday before heading up to Springer Mt. My brother Len is going to drop us off on the fire road for the 2.5 mile hike up to the terminus.I finally got a picture of Barb posted. Neither one of us really have trail names yet. I figure I will wait until I do something interesting (or stupid) and someone slaps a moniker on me.The big day approaches.Larry
Date: 2004-03-28
From: Almost ready

To: Springer Mountain
Miles today: 0.9
Weather: few clouds

We drove from Asheville, NC where we had stayed the night after driving from Chesapeake, VA. We stopped and did the traditional pack weighing and photo op at Amicalola Falls State Park. We took a photos that should be uploaded soon. We drove around on USFS 42 so we only had a 0.9 mile hike to the summit of Springer Mountain and the Southern Terminus of the AT. While we said our goodbyes to Len, a ridge-runner named Glen showed up and gave us some wonderful trail advice. We hope to see him again in the Shenandoah's later. We spent the night at the Springer Mt. shelter. We set up our tents and made some dinner. I killed the pasta with too much seasoning, but we ate it anyway. The shelter area has bear cables to hang our food bags, and two privies (what a luxury). Wildlife so far includes a grouse we saw on the USFS 42 and a mouse running around our tent.Special hello to Carol and her family, Skip and the folks at the Callahan Center.
Date: 2004-03-29
From: Springer Mountain

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: broken clouds

Had a nice evening on Springer, though we will try not to do everything in the dark again. Got up at 0700 today cooked oatmeal, ate, packed, used the privy and got ready to move on...*#@%* where are my glasses? I left them in the pocket of my tent and jammed it into the stuff sack, which is now jammed into my pack. Pulled it all out and luckily they survived albeit a bit mangled. I guess I have my trail name now -- Bent Frame. I also came up with a good trail name for Barb -- Can't Zip. She can't close a ziplock bag to save her life. Today's hike was beautiful, some "long green tunnel" stuff, through the rhododendron. It was fairly easy with some gradual ups and downs. We got to Hawk Mt. shelter. Tents again, probably won't stay in a shelter unless we arrive in the rain. There is a privy here too, boy are we getting spoiled. We had some dehydrated dinners so there was no cleanup - Yea. We met a bunch of folks; Mother Nature & Smokestack, John & Becky, Scraggly, Martin & Adam from the UK, Maestro (w/Montana -dog) & Split Tail, Daniel & Meg, and Casey.
Date: 2004-03-30
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Gooch Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: light rain

Rained overnight, down to a trickle by morning. Stayed in the tent until 0700 hoping it would stop, it did 20 minutes after getting out. Oh well, got to try out the rain gear. We packed up the wet tents and had oatmeal again, then got moving. I decided to use the knee brace and it was a good thing with all the downhills. Really had to watch our step coming off Hawk Mt. tricky roots and rocks all the way. Big climb today, up Sassafras Mt. Ate lunch at Cooper Gap then made it to Justus Creek as I ran out of water. We arrived at Gooch Gap shelter and there were a lot of people that we had not seen before. We got the last tent site, luckily it was large enough for two. Settled in, had dinner and got scared into the tent by some heavy winds and threat of rain. Wildlife today; snail, caterpillars and probably just missed a bear because the scat was still wet (didn't see any bells in it). Got a nice picture of Barb in the "long green tunnel".
Date: 2004-03-31
From: Gooch Gap Shelter

To: Wood's Hole Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: light rain

Rain, sleet and hail, what a day. Rained most of the night but it quit before getting up time. Temps in the low 40's. Barb headed out about 30 minutes before me, I figured I would catch her by lunch. Just as I was putting my pack on, the light sprinkle turned to hail. Barb had to stop part way down the trail and put on her rain gear and pack cover. It was one of those "what do I wear?" days with the rain and sleet starting and stopping. Longest day yet and to add to it, the shelter is 0.4 off the trail :-(   It was freezing & sleeting and very windy.
Date: 2004-04-01
From: Wood's Hole Shelter

To: Hogpen Gap
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: broken clouds

We have really gotten lucky. Mother Nature and Smokestack live nearby and have a car parked at Hogpen Gap. They offered to take us home for dinner, shower and laundry. We are so appreciative, just another sign that there are wonderful people out there in the world.It sleeted all night at Wood's Hole. Woke up to a white covering and heavy winds. Barb cooked breakfast today - oatmeal again. The tea is nice to warm up with as well. Started the day with a long hike up Blood Mt. It was sleeting on and off the whole way. We got to the top and saw the old stone shelter that was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. Supposedly the views are spectactular, but we were completely socked in on top. Had to negotiate some pretty tricky rocks on the way down, it is fun though, like a puzzle - trying to figure out where to put your feet and poles. We got to Walasi-Yi in Neels Gap, the only building through which the AT goes, so you can't miss it. We had left a package there so we sorted through the food, left some for other hikers if they want it. We both had some juice that we had been dying for over the past few days. There is a hostel there and we had planned to stop, but since we are getting a real house tonight, we pushed on. Three big climbs left today, Levelland Mt., Cowrock Mt. and the climb out of Tesnatee Gap to Wildcat Mt. The view from Cowrock was the best we have had so far. It is amazing to be on top of it all. The climb up Wildcat was the toughest so far, Barb and I were about dead, but there were showers in our future. We are staying in Clarksville, GA tonight and the house is great. We are clean and so are our clothes - woohoo.
Date: 2004-04-02
From: Hogpen Gap

To: Henson Gap
Miles today: 11.0

Last night was GREAT! We stayed at Mother Nature and Smokestack's house, it was so nice to wake up in a warm room. We got packed up early and hit the Huddle House for breakfast on the way to the trailhead.The hike out of Hogpen Gap was a pice of cake, we are starting to get our trail legs. I braced my left knee today because I strained it coming off of Blood Mt. yesterday when I slipped on an icy rock. We had one tough section today, a very rocky ridge walk coming out of Chattahoochee Gap. We stopped at Henson Gap for the night in a nice camping area just below the Blue Mt. shelter. It was windy, as usual, but we did out best to enjoy the evening. The potato-salmon soup for dinner was quite tasty. First time using the 550 cord for a bear bag and we had no problems. Mid-30s overnight, zipping up the sleeping bag the whole way.wildlife today: orioles, hawk, squirrel, daffodils (oddly place on top of a mountain), some kind of really cool looking purple fern.
Date: 2004-04-03
From: Henson Gap

To: Tray Mt. shelter
Miles today: 8.1

Lazy day today, with the number of stops and the short distance. We started off finishing the climb over Blue Mt. and then the killer downhill into Unicoi Gap. The next climb was a 900-footer over Rocky Mt. We stopped half-way up at a nice spring for water refill. We stopped on top for lunch on a grassy spot with beautiful views and warm sunshine. Barb had her snickers bar while I munched on gorp and beef jerky. We stopped again at Indian Grave Gap to shed some clothes before climbing Tray Mt. We were excited to get to the top because Mother Nature and Smokestack's friends from the Kennesaw Outdoor Activities Club were going to be there and had dinner ready. A pleasant surprise was the White Zinfandel they had lugged up the mountain for our dining pleasure. The hot dogs and beans were great too. The summit of Tray Mt. was a little rocky outcropping with a brass benchmark in the stone - 4930', our second highest so far (Blood Mt. is 4961'). We met another couple who are going as far as Damascus. Morgan and Missy with their dog. From the small world department, Morgan crewed on the Niagara one summer.wildlife: flying squirrel after dark
Date: 2004-04-04
From: Tray Mt. shelter

To: Dick's Creek Gap
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

Thanks again to the Kennesaw guys for staying up on the mountain and making us breakfast. Egg-toast and sausage sure beats oatmeal, and no dishes to do. The coffee wasn't bad either, after I put some chocolate carnation breakfast drink in it. Scraggly enjoyed her coffee the same way, but being the vegetarian, she was giving her sausage away. Half-way today was Addis Gap, and there was a party going on. A group of folks apparently do this every year for the thru-hikers. It was great, sandwiches to order, lots of snacks and a couple kegs of beer. We took a long lunch break before heading to Dick's Creek and the ride back to Sue and Pete's place. Tomorrow is a zero day and we will go into Hiawassee and pick up our mail drop.
Date: 2004-04-06
From: Dick's Creek Gap

To: Muskrat Creek shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: scattered clouds

We must be making progress, we crossed the GA/NC border today. It was a killer climb today going over Courthouse Bald. I am not sure if Georgia didn't want us to leave or North Carolina didn't want us in, I swear 10 of the 11 miles was uphill. It sure was nice to start the day off with a shower and good breakfast. The zero day yesterday sure was nice, gave the knees a chance to recover.
Date: 2004-04-07
From: Muskrat Creek shelter

To: Carter Gap shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Not much excitement on the trail today, although we did break the 5000' barrier. We crossed over Standing Indian Mt. (5498'). Barb had a little accident today. She did a face plant after tripping on a root on the way down Standing Indian. There was a weird section on the way down the mountain. We broke out of the rhododendron and it was like we were in the desert. The temperature jumped about ten degrees and there was only sand and rocks. This lasted for about 20 yards, just a bit odd.
Date: 2004-04-08
From: Carter Gap shelter

To: Big Spring shelter
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: overcast clouds

A short day today after a few long ones. We probably could have gone further, but I had to keep us on track for the surprise awaiting Barb on her birthday. The climb out of Mooney Gap was interesting as well. It was tricky going over the roots and rocks with the cliff close by to the right hand side. It was an interesting and grueling climb up Albert Mt. It was our first rock scramble. We actually had to let our poles loose and pull our way up on the rocks and trees. The view from the top was spectacular. Tonight was the first night we actually slept in the shelter. I guess it was just a little laziness not wanting to set up the tents. Casey caught up with us today after hanging at Blueberry Patch for an extra day awaiting a package.
Date: 2004-04-09
From: Big Spring shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: few clouds

Easy hike today, almost all downhill. Saw Dad at Rock Gap shelter and luckily Barb was about 200 yards behind me. The birthday surprise was set up at Rock Gap. Len, Heidi, Josh and Jack along with Mom & Dad and Afton. Barb had no clue that anyone was coming. We sat around Rock Gap for a little while, then finished the day with the 3 miles up to Winding Stair Gap. Mom, Heidi, Josh and Afton came along. We are taking a zero day tomorrow; Mother Nature and Smokestack are doing the same so we will meet up with them on Sunday.