morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-07-18
From: Avery Memorial Campsite, ME

To: Stealth site, East Carry Pond, ME
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: few clouds

It was pleasant to get up and put away tent gear that was almost dry, despite all the rain that fell during the night. Being on a platform helped. Poor Chef had disdained the use of a platform, and unfortunately where he chose to set up turned into a big puddle. He had water in his tent. I got hiking late, at 8:58, despite me having an aggressive target to meet to put me back on track to meet my son on the 21st in Monson. I did 1 mph for the first three hours due to the terrain. There was a cruel rock jumble as soon as you hit the trail, but it was mercifully short. Twenty minutes after setting out, I was summitting Avery Peak. Then it was a tough slog down rocky paths until the long climb up to the last real peak of the AT before Katahdin, Little Bigelow. Along the way I was overtaken by Chef, and then by a group consisting of Lucky, Leaf, and Lioness. Just yesterday I'd been saying that two more dry days would clear up the mudholes along the trail, but last night's rain put paid to that. Around 3 pm, thunder began rolling, and soon rain was bucketing down. In the midst of the lightning, who should come up but Sweet Spot and Leaf. I last saw Sweet Spot somewhere in Georgia. We hugged in the rain. The two of them raced off. I plodded on, getting sicker of the mud with every stride. I thought about just keeping going into the night but saw in Guthook that there was a sandy lake beach at my 19-mile mark, and some tenting spots near it. So I stopped there. I found Lucky and Lioness already there. I filled up with water at the beach. I was tempted to go for a swim until I saw leeches swimming in the water. Bummer. The plaintive call of the loon is sounding across the lake. The mosquitoes are buzzing around my tent. I'm bushed, but I'm fed and watered and ready for sleep. Tipperary
Date: 2017-07-19
From: Stealth site, East Carry Pond, ME

To: Stealth near Baker Stream, ME
Miles today: 22.4
Weather: few clouds

It was nice to fold up dry tent gear for a change. I left Lucky and Lioness to their breakfasts and was on my way by 6:59. It was foggy so there was no view over the lake. The trail led through pine forest and was frequently flat and a delight to hike on. The only sketchy bit was walking across the logs and planks on top of a wooden dam at the outlet of Pierce Pond. Before midday I had reached the Kennebec River and took the ferry (a canoe) over. On the far side, I went for a swim, mainly to wash the sweat out of my clothes, as it had turned into a warm day.Immediately after the ferry was the Caratunk B&B. A whole crowd of hikers was there, including Lioness, Lucky, Sweet Spot, Chef, and Leaf. Paul, the genial owner, invited us to eat if we wished in his dining room. I had two of the juiciest burgers I've ever enjoyed. I also had two milk shakes, three mandarin oranges, a muffin and a big slice of coffee cake. I lingered over an hour and then pressed on. The almost 2,000-foot climb up Pleasant Pond Mountain was anything but. Night fell as I descended to Baker Stream. I chatted briefly with two night fishermen on the river before I crossed it, hopping from rock to rock by the light of my headlamp. I found a stealth site just 100 yards up the AT from the river. I filled up on water to the whine of mosquitoes, the sound of frogs, and the sight of a meteor scratching a line across the star-jeweled sky. Tipperary
Date: 2017-07-20
From: Stealth near Baker Stream, ME

To: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to, ME
Miles today: 15.6

It was another gorgeous day. I climbed up to the top of Moxie Bald Mountain in sunshine, and sat down on the summit to upload my trail journal. But the high humidity really interfered with my phone. As I prepared to copy the entry I'd typed up last night in my tent and paste it into the website, my phone got in on the act and deleted the entry. This has happened before, but it was particularly irritating this time, given how little spare time I have on the AT. I left the summit with Lucky, and on the way down he introduced me to wild Maine blueberries. He reduced his speed in order to stay with me. But eventually he took off with Leaf and Chef when they caught up with us. There were several rivers to cross. Most were easy, but one required me to remove my boots, don my camp shoes, and wade across. I aimed for Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to, where I found Chef and many others. I got a spot that was adequate but a bit constricted by saplings, had a couple of big roots, and a slight slope. Nevertheless I was glad to crawl into it. I crawled out when it got dark to take a shower. Tipperary
Date: 2017-07-21
From: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to, ME

To: Historic AT route near Monson, ME
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: clear sky

By virtue of the long miles I did a couple of days ago, I had the luxury of a 6-mile NERO to the cabins at the 100 Mile Wilderness Adventures and Outfitters near Monson. I left camp just before 9, and found my way to the cabins by around 1 pm, where I met Phil Pepin, the owner, and his dog Woody. He showed me around. He gave me a Dr Pepper, pointed me to some free beers in a fridge, and got ready to head off to pick up my son, Aidan, in Bangor. I took one of the mountain bikes on the property and put it in the back of his truck, and he dropped me off in Monson, 1.6 miles away. I went to Pete's Place for lunch, and of course met loads of hikers there - Sweet Spot, Lioness, Strider, and Downhill, to name but a few. I tried and failed to get my phone to cooperate; humidity levels were at record highs, so I gave up trying and left to get some beers, wine and ice cream. I took the wrong way back to the camp and was quite fed up of mountain biking by the time I made it there. I ate the half-gallon of ice-cream, drank a bottle of beer and the bottle of red wine I'd bought, and so was quite mellow by the time Phil came back with Aidan. It was a very emotional reunion. Phil joined us for a group hug. Aidan and I sat on the porch of our cabin having a beer. Then I took a shower and we both grabbed bikes and rode to town. We had dinner at the Lakeshore Restaurant, where the service was the slowest I've ever experienced. We met Sparky, whom I haven't seen since shortly after Harpers Ferry. By the time we left, it was dark and we took our chances on the dirt road, but it all went well. Phil took me to the lounge cabin to agree logistics for resupply and picking us up from Katahdin. He also plied me with Black Velvet whiskey. Back in our cabin, Aidan took the top bunk. I slept well until 2, when I needed to pee. It was too hot in our cabin when I got back, so I opened the door. That let in the mosquitoes. I didn't sleep again. Tipperary
Date: 2017-07-22
From: Historic AT route near Monson, ME

To: Stream at mile 2087.7
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: clear sky

We got up early. We heard Butterbuck and Josh leaving with Phil around 5. They are two hikers trying to hike the 100-Mile Wilderness from north to south in two days. Aidan and I went into town to do a resupply and get breakfast. Back at the cabins, we packed. I was annoyed to learn that by mistake he had brought me a pair of boots that were ones ordered for him that were too large for him, rather than the ones ordered for me. So I am hiking to Katahdin in boots that are past their prime. We hiked back to the AT, and walked the 3.3 miles to the start of the 100-Mile Wilderness. For the next 100 miles, there are no towns to hop into, and no shops to buy supplies from, although Phil is dropping our resupply food bags off at a crossing with a logging road. Aidan was well able for the trail. He got to experience mud, rocks, fording brooks and crossing railroad tracks. But eventually he got tired and we pitched an emergency tent at a stream. I heard voices up ahead and went to investigate. It was Sparky with a female hiker, Mary Ann, setting up their tents also. Aidan and I cooked some food and went to sleep early. We were both really tired Tipperary
Date: 2017-07-23
From: Stream at mile 2087.7

To: Stealth camp at mile 2100
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: broken clouds

Aidan was a bit slow to wake up, but once we got rolling he was fine. Since yesterday's mileage had been a little light, we aimed for a 20-plus day. It was not to be. There was a lot of climbing, much tree roots and rock to navigate, and Aidan's feet were hurting him before too long. He was very glad to stop whenever I suggested it. Early on, we caught up with Sparky & Mary Ann as they were taking their boots off for a tricky river crossing. I decided to try rock-hopping across, and was successful, as was Aidan. Immediately after that, we passed the 100 miles to go mark (although there was no actual mark). There were outstanding views of hills and lakes. On one summit, Aidan tried his phone and found we had excellent service, so we took it in turns to speak to my wife and his mom, Gayle. But by the third or fourth climb, Aidan was in too much pain. We stopped at a stream and he got on with filling up our water bottles for the night, while I went on less than half a mile and found a stealth camp referred to in Guthook. It was fabulous, and Aidan was delighted. We ate, and he had his first experience of pooping in the woods, followed by a shower (yes, I had schlepped 10 liters of water in my shower bag from the stream). In the tent, he read his book (Game of Thrones) while I was thrilled to discover that, in the low humidity, my phone was happy and cooperative. I wrote up five days'-worth of trail journals. I'm sure I've forgotten many of the events of those days but at least I can get the highlights. I was gratified to note that hiking to the stealth site had brought us to exactly 2,100 miles from Mt Springer. Tipperary
Date: 2017-07-24
From: Stealth camp at mile 2100

To: Logan Brook Road, ME
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It was in some fear and trepidation that we embarked on the trail at 6:59. We were both worried that Aidan's foot problems would affect our mileage, and with 89.8 miles left, and effectively only four days to do the first 84.6 of those, any reductions in planned miles would cause us problems in getting to Katahdin in time.  But Aidan turned out to be in good form. We vaulted up Columbus Mountain. He took the lead up Chairback Mountain, which we'd been warned was rocky and rooty. There was one stretch coming down which was a huge rock jumble, and we took it slowly and carefully. As a result, our mph was low - roughly 1.5. But from that point on, we cruised. There was some lovely flat trail, and we were hitting 3 mph for long stretches. We met Josh and Butterbuck coming south on day 2 of their two-day assault on the length of the Wilderness. They looked fresh and in good spirits, but had not slept, instead had continued hiking to Monson from Abol Bridge. They complained about the trail messing them up, but said that we would find that after Whitecap Mountain the trail was a beauty. On Katahdin Ironworks Road, we found a large group being resupplied. We scored some trail magic - surplus meals, biscuits and tortillas. Shortly afterwards we had to ford West Branch Pleasant River. Aidan did so barefoot as he has no camp shoes. We timed ourselves and found that the crossing cost us 13 minutes. Then came the quadrifecta - four mountains in swift succession - Gulf Hagas, West Peak, Hay, and White Cap. Each was a bit higher than the one before it. Aidan led superbly. On White Cap I took the time to upload three days' worth of trail journals. Aidan was getting too cold for us to delay further. As we were leaving, we saw a painted sign on the ground saying "View" and pointing us to the north. From the viewing point we were able to see, away off in the distance, Katahdin. We continued on another two miles, and arrived at our goal for the day - a piped spring, and nearby, a stealth site. It had rained from the time we left White Cap, and after getting loads of water, Aidan and I coordinated our actions to get our tent set up in record time and fairly dry inside. We cooked ramen noodles, while I also ate tuna in tortillas. We added flavors to our drinking water to make it more appealing. I was massively disappointed to discover that the one thing I'd totally forgotten to resupply was Snickers bars. We were both in our sleeping bags with lights out by 10:30. Tipperary
Date: 2017-07-25
From: Logan Brook Road, ME

To: Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: broken clouds

Aidan was a reluctant riser this morning. But when we got going, he was fine. It was at first cloudy, but later in the morning, sun and blue sky started to appear. We were on the trail by 7:34. With a target of 21.5 miles to reach today and for each of the next two days, we did not dawdle. There were two relatively minor climbs to get us to the top of Little Boardman Mountain at 1980 feet. After that, the trail began its long descent on flat ground. At its most complicated there were rock falls and jumbles to overcome, but these were few and far between. At the top of Little Boardman, I found I had good coverage and stopped to do the three entries I still had outstanding in order to get my trail journal up to date. We were constantly battling mosquitoes. I was reasonably safe from them, in my long hiking pants and long-sleeved sun shirt, but Aidan kept being attacked. Once we were over Boardman, our speed picked up. Aidan led. Although not 100% recovered from the foot pains he had two days ago, he is strong and able to hike fast and long. We encountered trail magic after a couple of miles, from a hiker and her hiker son who had arranged way too much food for their resupply and gave us a lot of it. It included Snickers bars, a couple of meals, and umpteen energy bars. We covered the 8.3 miles to Jo-Mary Road at a 4 mph rate. There, we picked up our resupply food from Phil Pepin's lockbox. Aidan had to take some of it as I had maxed out what I could squeeze into my backpack. (Yesterday I had taken all the food he was carrying in order to give him as light a pack as possible.) At the Antlers Campsite, we found Rock Spider, Powerhouse and Wonder Woman. They had a lovely campsite by a lake, and I would have liked to join them. However, to keep us on target to reach the Katahdin base by Thursday night, we had to press on for 3.5 miles more to the Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to. There we got a nice site close to the spring. There were gazillions of mosquitoes so we opted to cook in our tent. I lanced a blister on Aidan's foot for him and then patched it up with - what else? - Leukotape!Milestones in the past week: I passed the 100-miles-to-go and the 2,100-miles-walked marks. I have done 97.7% of the AT. I've done more than 15 Everests. My average mileage per day is just a hair below 17. I have now completed nearly all the mountains of the AT, apart from the climb up Katahdin on the last day. And of course, I saw Katahdin for the first time, a speck on the distant horizon. I'm coming for you!
Date: 2016-05-09
To: Appalachian Trail Institute
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I attended the May 9-13 Appalachian Trail Institute led by Warren Doyle. This weeklong class is designed to prepare people to hike the Appalachian Trail. For all but the first day we had class in the morning and did short hikes on the AT in the afternoon. I was fortunate in my choice of dates because all the class members live reasonably close to me. This means that we have become friends and have hiked together on other parts of the trail since class. I learned a lot in class and have learned a lot on practice hikes since then. The week of these first hikes, which were in northern Tennessee and near Damascus, Virginia, appeared to be the peak of spring wildflowers. We saw whole hillsides of mayapple foliage and red trillium in bloom. We saw white trillium, a type of yellow trillium that I'd never seen before, blue violets, yellow-eyed grass, pinxster plant (a beautiful orange wild azalea), wild geraniums, showy orchis, fire pink, dwarf crested iris, and some kind of flowering wild magnolia tree. The night before the first hike I was so excited I could hardly sleep.
Date: 2016-08-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I signed up to go on an Appalachian Trail Institute Smart Hike in central Maine, from Rangeley to Monson. This is a hike supported by a van that carries the group's gear. Driving to Maine I was headed right through Allentown, PA, where my ATI classmate Paul Iobst (Big Dog) lives. I contacted Paul and asked him if he would take me hiking on the rocks in Pennsylvania on my way to Maine. Paul and his wife generously took me in for the weekend, helped me organize my food, helped me shop for more food, and took me up some impressive rocks. Paul and I headed to the pictured spot near Palmerton and headed up the rocks. It was about a mile to the top. Some of the trail required the use of both hands and both feet. By the time I got to the top I was lightheaded, I think from not eating enough breakfast. The trail at the top of these rocks was flat and through grassy fields - not a challenge - so rather than continue Paul took me back to his house, where we worked on figuring out what additional food I needed for the week. Paul has hiked 2000 miles of the trail, and his wife Haunani has spent a lot of time and effort researching dietary needs and how to fulfill them with trail food. They are both engineers, so they started a spread sheet listing all the food I had. From that we listed all the food I needed to buy and made a grocery list. Then we went to a grocery store to get everything on the list. We spent the evening packaging the food in convenient packages for each day, so all I would have to do in the morning was grab the Day 1 package, pull out the breakfast food to eat, and throw the lunch and snack food into my day pack. I left their house the following morning feeling considerably more prepared then when I arrived.
Date: 2016-08-24
To: Perham Stream Logging Rd.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Destination: Perham Stream Logging Rd.Start: ME 4, RangeleyMiles: 15.6 (plus 1.5 miles to campsite)This ATI Smart Hike was to go from Rangeley, ME to Monson, ME in 8 days. We were to meet at 8 PM the night before the hike at the trailhead on ME 4 outside Rangeley. Part of the group had gone back to the White Mountains for the day to make up a section they had missed the previous week. When they hadn¢t gotten back by 9, the rest of the group picked 6 AM as a start time. I set my alarm for 5:30 and laid down to sleep in the back of my car. I woke to the sound of pounding on the car window at 5:15. Warren had planned a start time of 5 AM. So I quickly dressed, got my day pack out of the support van, ate a bit of breakfast. I headed out shortly after 5:30. This series of Smart Hikes covered the sections from the White Mountains to Mt. Katahdin in four sections. Everyone else in the group was doing all four hikes. Two were finishing section hikes, one after four years of hiking, one after ten, and one was finishing a thru hike he had started in February. I was the only inexperienced hiker in the group. Steve Bussey offered to hike with me for the day. Although his hiking speed was faster than mine, he stopped at each tricky spot to help me figure out how to get up or down. This was immensely helpful, as I¢d had no experience with this type of steep, rocky, rooty terrain.The hike was the hardest physical labor I¢ve ever done. The entire day was a series of uphills and downhills, most of them quite steep. On uphills I held onto trees and pulled myself up; on downhills I sat on rocks and slid down, hanging onto trees to brake my descent. Near the top of Saddleback there was an enormous steep granite boulder with nothing to hold onto. Steve said to lean forward so the weight of my pack would help propel me up and just keep walking. It worked. At one place an iron ladder was leaned against a rock to help in the climb. The effort was definitely worthwhile. The views from the top of Saddleback Mountain (elev. 4120), The Horn (elev. 4032), and Saddleback Junior (elev. 3655) were astonishingly beautiful. We passed several pretty ponds and forded one stream. The day ended on a steep 2-mile uphill. By then I was exhausted. I concentrated on keeping a steady rhythm and eventually popped out of the woods at Perham Stream Logging Road about 7:30 PM. We had hiked 15.6 miles in 14 hours. We walked a mile and half east on the grassy abandoned road to reach our camping spot. By the time we arrived it was 8 o¢clock and totally dark. Someone helped me set up my tarp, I grabbed something to eat, and was soon asleep.
Date: 2016-08-31
To: ME 15, Monson
Miles today: 0.0

Destination: ME 15, MonsonStart: Shirley-Blanchard Rd., MonsonMiles: 6.3About 1 in the morning I heard Ron say, ¢Charli, wake up. It¢s raining.¢ It was raining, but only lightly. Momentarily I considered just staying put. My tarp was covering my sleeping bag so it wouldn¢t get wet. But then I thought of how wet I would get if it started raining harder. Ron set up his tent on the beach. I didn¢t even try getting my tarp up. I have so much trouble in the daylight that doing it at night seemed way too hard. I gathered up my stuff and went to sleep on a wooden box in the van. Warren dropped us off at Shirley-Blanchard Road in the morning, and we headed north. It was a pretty and relatively flat walk. We passed two ponds, and we heard loons calling back and forth. At the top of the only hill we looked out on hills shrouded in fog. By the time we got to the trailhead at ME 15 the sky had cleared, and it was a beautiful sunny day. Warren drove Steve and me back to Stratton. Steve needed to shuttle his car forward, and I was leaving the group. Steve drove me to my car, which was parked at Flagstaff Lake. I was sorry to say goodbye to Steve ¢ he¢d become a real friend. Bruce, who¢d earlier invited me swimming, had left a note on my windshield giving me his contact information in case I wanted to hike more in Maine. I was really tempted to call him to do the hike over the Bigelows that I¢d missed. But I was due in Vermont the next day to visit my college roommate. I was at the end of the hike.