morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-09-02
From: Zero Day

To: Zero Day
Miles today: 0.0

Still in Monson66 High/49 LowWaxing Gibbous Moon: ¢Growing Swollen¢ MoonAppears to be more than one-half but not fully illuminated by direct sunlight.All¢s well!Thank you for a wonderful day at your cottage on the lake 1.5 miles from Shaw¢s Ellen and Michael Makynen. Ellen is a colleague and friend. We had a great day kayaking on the lake followed by a fire pit hot dog roast. While they went for a walk, I leisurely enjoyed reading the paper, because I do enough walking every day! I stayed behind ¢vegged¢ and will enjoy dinner with them before I head back to my last night at Shaw¢s. Tomorrow I will make ready and get under way. Irish will head out with friends.   Headin¢ Out and Taggin¢ Along are a couple of days behind¢¦maybe they¢ll catch up before I leave Monson.I figure nine days to the base of Katahdin with Sept. 12th or 13th (my 63rd b¢day) Summit Day¢¢¦I¢ll probably be ¢out of communication¢ for the next several days unless I'm surprised with cell service.   Weather today was overcast with threats of rain, but it held off and hopefully will stay away as I ready to leave....thinking of all who have gone before me ¢into the Wilderness¢. Please keep me in your prayers. ¢Katahdin Countdown¢ stuck between 10 and 9¢¦Ahead lies a dream.What if you slept? And what if, in your sleep, you dreamed? And what if, in your dream, you went to heavenand there plucked a strange and beautiful flower?And what if, when you awoke, you had the flower in your hand?Ah, what then?      - Samuel Taylor Coleridge -
Date: 2006-09-03
From: Monson

To: Wilson Valley Lean-to
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

M&M and Mountain Goat (not seen in quite a while) showed up at Shaw¢s last night. Headin¢ Out and Taggin¢ Along are still a day behind. Rainy day...Out of Monson "into the other side of the trees" - one final time... No more: trail towns, traffic, maildrops, grocery stores, newspapers, laundries, restaurants, motels, hotels, hostels, noise, pizza, pasta, Ben and Jerry's.Still more: trail, blazes, adventure, awe, water, weather, walking, wonder, rocks, rills, mountains, hills, sun, stars, silence, solitude, remote reflection, isolated introspection, day, night, memories, time...the "majestic summit" of Katahdin.Mike Makynen picked me up this morning and dropped me at the trailhead 3 miles from town. I was under way by 8:30. My pack weighs 43 lbs. as I¢m carrying only 5 days of supplies and will resupply at White House Landing (about 70 miles from Shaw¢s) which will carry me the remainder of the way.Although the temps were 60s, the weather was wet and conditions slippery, when fording Big Wilson Stream 30 ¢ 40 yards across 10 mi into the day. No tosses; tumbles or trauma. Irish won the prize! He managed to find a spot waist deep...I thanked him for his ¢scuba scouting¢ and made sure I didn¢t follow in his footsteps. I found a spot knee deep and paid careful attention with each step. Before reaching Big Wilson Stream we ambled past Spectacle Pond (outlet), Bell Pond, Lily Pond, Leeman Brook Lean-to (1,060¢) North Pond (outlet), Little Wilson Falls and Little Wilson Stream. Once across Big Wilson Stream (600¢) we passed the Canadian Pacific Railroad and arrived Wilson Valley Lean-to (1,045¢) 5:00 PM. Just enough daylight left to unwind, cook, clean up and settle in for the night.Surprise, surprise - 10 miles into the woods and cell service! Called Bonnie from Wilson Valley Lean-to in the wet wilderness to report in. Irish and his "band of merry men¢ and 2 guys from Rhode Island are my shelter mates. All but one will sleep in the shelter (he will sleep in a tent).Tomorrow I¢d like to get to Cloud Pond Lean-to Side Trail, (8.7 miles) but it requires getting over Barren Mountain and, if the weather¢s wet, making for a slippery trek, I may stop 5 miles away at Long Pond Lean-to.The answer¢s in the wind and the "K-Count" is still stuck between 10 and 9...98.8 miles left.Great is the art of beginning,but greater is the art of ending.    - Longfellow -
Date: 2006-09-04
From: Wilson Valley Lean-to

To: Cloud Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Update for all enquiring minds: I haven¢t heard from Sandman since Sunday, Sept. 3rd. when he called to say he was at Wilson Valley Lean-to planning to trek to Cloud Pond Lean-to as planned today. I have no details to add ¢til he reports in ¢ which I expect will be Thursday, Sept. 7th from White House Landing. Hope you¢re all happy to be along the final miles¢¦I know I am!It¢s been a long, lonesome and interesting trek for me, too.   Behind every good man; there¢s a better woman!            - Bonnie -
Date: 2006-09-04
From: Wilson Valley Lean-to

To: Cloud Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 8.7

It's official - "K-Count 9...As planned I spent this cool, slightly cloud covered early Sept. night at Cloud Pond Lean-to and was very glad to be in my 20 o bag. I¢d be a very unhappy camper if I hadn¢t made the switch to this bag¢¦it¢s definitely Fall in the ¢Wilderness¢! Ground gets very wet overnight leaving things damp for packing in the morning¢¦the worst is wet boots and socks that don¢t dry out and must be worn again. Almost 9 miles today out of Wilson Valley Lean-to across low slate ridges and deep valleys. Several large streams ¢ Long Pond (ford) (620¢) and Big Wilson can be difficult or dangerous to cross in high water - not the case today. Spectacular waterfalls have been formed by the streams in the slate valleys. Along this section of the AT is the Barren-Chairback Range and such natural features as Little Wilson Falls formed by the slate ridges north of Monson. On today¢s trek I continued over the bedrock beginnings of the Barren-Chairback Range just northeast of Monson. The entire range is 30.4 miles, includes 5,100¢ elevation gain and requires 2-3 days travel. Although the 5 major peaks are all under 3,000¢ this section of trail includes significant gain and loss of elev. over a rough footway which includes mountain terrain, bogs, tarns (pocket like bodies of water formed by the scouring action of a glacier) hard and soft wood forests, ledges, cliffs and frequent views. Barren Mountain (2,660¢), along today¢s trek, at the south end of the range is home to a fire warden¢s tower built in 1950 as a provisional lookout for wildfires due to the heavy logging of the area. The original AT through Maine passed seven fire towers built following several forest fires throughtout the northeast US in the early 1900s: White Cap, Moxie Bald Mtn., Pleasant Pond Mtn., Bigelow Mtn., Mt. Abraham, Saddleback and Old Speck.   Only two of them remain standing ¢ Barren Mountain (1950) and Big Moose Mountain, (Maine¢s first firetower built 1905) and neither is manned.Tomorrow I will continue my trek across the Barren-Chairback Range planning to end my day at Chairback Gap Lean-to nearly 7 miles closer to ¢the summit¢.Til then KISS (Keep it simple Sandman)¢¦Each day comes bearing its gifts      Untie the ribbons.   - Ann Ruth Schabacker ¢
Date: 2006-09-05
From: Cloud Pond Lean-to (?)

To: ???
Miles today: 0.0

And still no word...The wilderness is near as well as dear to every man. Even the oldest villages are indebted to the border of wild wood which surrounds them, more than to the gardens of men. There is something indescribably inspiriting and beautiful in the aspect of the forest skirting and occasionally jutting into the midst of new towns, which, like the sand-heaps of fresh fox-burrows, have sprung up in their midst. The very uprightness of the pines and maples asserts the ancient rectitude and vigor of nature. Our lives need the relief of such a background, where the pine flourishes and the jay still screams. "A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers"       - Henry David Thoreau ¢
Date: 2006-09-05
From: Cloud Pond Lean-to

To: Chairback Gap Lean-to (1,930')
Miles today: 6.9

Nearly 7 more miles traveled and still no moose! ¢K-Count" 8¢¦ Up early and off to trek across more of the ¢Chairbacks¢...more bedrock composed of very fine-grained Silurian slate known along the east coast as Monson Slate. Slate mining which began in the 1870s peaked in the Monson area at the turn of the century. Many quarries remain as testament to the volumes of slate removed for building purposes.Today¢s peaks included: Fourth Mountain (2,380¢) and its bog located on both sides of the AT which is habitat to the insect eating Pitcher and Sundew plants. Third Mountain, Monument Cliff (1,920¢) where there is a plaque in memory of Walter D. Greene, Broadway actor, Maine Guide and former President of the Maine Appalachian Trail Club, who in 1933 scouted and marked the ridge over the Barren-Chairback Range, an accomplishment referred to as one of the great feats in the annals of trail building.What happened to First and Second Mountains? I continued on past, West Chairback Pond Side Trail (1,770¢) which follows an old logging road to the shore of West Chairback Pond, a popular fishing spot. Following the WWII the West Chairback Pond area was logged for pulpwood. Columbus Mountain (2,325¢) was the last view this day before arrival at Chairback Gap Lean-to (1,930).Not many miles covered today, with the changes in elevation definitely a contributing factor. Though not back-breaking, this stretch of trail comes at a time when mind and body are running on parallel paths ¢ head is not where feet are ¢ and slippery rocks and trail also require strict attention! Tomorrow I will finish the ¢Chairbacks¢ moving closer to Katahdin.I feel the excitement building¢¦If you force the trail to emerge and turn with your every command, then most likely it will only become what you imagined. If you just enjoy the anticipation of each new curve and seize it as it comes, the road around the bend might lead to the unimaginable.          - Bryan Hufalar -
Date: 2006-09-06
From: ???

To: ???
Miles today: 0.0

Star light, star bright we wonder where you are tonight... When I heard the learn'd astronomer;When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me;When I was shown the charts and the diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them;When I, sitting, heard the astronomer, where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,How soon, unaccountable, I became tired and sick;Till rising and gliding out, I wander'd off by myself,In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars.   "When I Heard The Learn'd Astronomer"         - Walt Whitman -
Date: 2006-09-06
From: Chairback Gap Lean-to

To: Carl A. Newhall Lean-to (1,860')
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: overcast clouds

¢K-Count" 7¢¦ Nearly 10 miles my final steps today finishing the 'Chairbacks' before stopping at Carl A. Newhall Lean-to (1,860¢).First encounter: Chairback Mountain (2,180¢). Second encounter: East Chairback Pond Side Trail (1,630¢) a 200¢ long trail which leads to the shore of East Chairback Pond (a tarn) with scenic views of the Chairback and Columbus mountains. In 1939 East Chairback Pond area was logged and during WWII this logging stopped due to a shortage of manpower.Third encounter: Logging Road Fourth encounter: West Branch of Pleasant River (ford),Fifth encounter: The Hermitage (695¢), a grove of tall white pine owned by the Nat¢l Park Service located on the north side of the West Branch of the Pleasant River, once the wilderness home of Scotsman Campbell Young (late 1800s)Sixth encounter: Gulf Hagas Trail, one of the most outstanding features of the AT, winding through a spectacuar slate gorge carved by the West Branch of the Pleasant River.Seventh encounter: Gulf Hagas Trail cut-off which links the head of Gulf Hagas with the AT providing a route for SOBO hikers to reach the Head of the Gulf and for NOBO hikers to return to the AT from the Head of the Gulf.Final encounter: Carl A. Newhall Lean-to (1,860¢). Home is where you hang your pack, lay out your bag and rest your weary bones¢¦                  Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.                     - Martin Luther King -
Date: 2006-09-07
From: ???

To: ???
Miles today: 0.0

Maybe he'll call tomorrow...You know a dream is like a river, ever changing as it flows.And a dreamer's just a vessel that must follow where it goes.Trying to learn from what's behind you and never knowing what's in storemakes each day a constant battle just to stay between the shores.And I will sail my vessel 'til the river runs dry.Like a bird upon the wind, these waters are my sky.I'll never reach my destination if I never try,So I will sail my vessel 'til the river runs dry.Too many times we stand aside and let the water slip away.To what we put off 'til tomorrow has now become today.So don't you sit upon the shore and say you're satisfied.Choose to chance the rapids and dare to dance the tides.      Song: ¢The River¢            - Garth Brooks - (co-written with Victoria Shaw)
Date: 2006-09-07
From: Carl A. Newhall Lean-to (1,860')

To: East Branch Lean-to (1,225')
Miles today: 0.0

"K-Count 6...Weather continues good ¢ cool, but dry as the miles continue to tick by.Nearly 11 more miles traveled ¢¦Today out of Carl A. Newhall first point of interest Gulf Hagas Mountain, followed bySidney Tappan Campsite (2,425¢), West Peak, Hay Mountain, White Brook Trail which provides access to White Cap Mtn. (3,650¢) and Hay Mtn. from the valley of the West Branch of the Pleasant River. Logan Brook Lean-to (2,480¢) and West Branch Ponds Road were the final sights before arriving East Branch Lean-to (1,225¢) tonight¢s lodging.   Physically and routinely today was much like the any before it: up, eat, pack, trail. However, my mindset is changing with each new beginning as I near the end of my journey on ¢the trail¢. The steps become fewer and my mind wanders back over the many miles already traveled and the people I¢ve met along the way; the sights and experiences; emotions and memories. The best way to describe what I¢m feeling is to liken it to the aging process: the further forward I move; the further back I gaze.The process of ending is not at all like the process of beginning. I stepped onto the trail with no knowledge but many preconceived ideas.  I move to the finish line with a far deeper, keener ¢knowing¢ after my ¢walk in the woods¢ these many months. Those ideas forever changed; another self revealed as the space between me and Katahdin closes in¢¦We, too, the children of the earth, have our moon phases all through any year; the darkness, the delivery from darkness, the waxing and the waning.            - Faith Baldwin ¢
Date: 2006-09-08
From: East Branch Lean-to

To: Antlers Campsite (500')
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: few clouds

Journal caught up through Sept. 7th - read backwards. Sandman called at 7:26 from "puckerbrush" at Antlers Campsite where he and 'Irish' are safely settled in for the night watching the "Corn Moon" rise and listening to the sound of crickets (or tree frogs).Transcriber's note:12:42 phone call from Cooper Brook Falls - I'm certain it was 'Irish' as it was a thick brogue. He quickly stated he ws a friend of Sandman and "it was a very bad"...(my heart dropped) and then I heard George's voice telling me all was well. Irish was trying to tell me it was a very bad cell connection - and he was right! It was a very brief conversation and ended abruptly with a drop-off.They must really be having a 'jolly good' time in the Wilderness as they are suffering from hiker "brain-cramp" and couldn't remember where they stayed on Sept. 5th and 6th.The good news is they do remember Sept. 7th - stayed at East Branch Lean-to (1,225').And...they know where they're headed today - Antlers Campsite.NOTE: Happy to report full recovery from hiker "brain-cramp" and with this entry, journal is current through Sept. 8th.Great day hiking 16 miles past:East Branch of Pleasant River (ford)Mountain View Pond (outlet)SpringLittle Boardman Mountain (1,980')Kokadjo-B Pond Road at Crawford Pond (outlet) where active logging is taking place in the forest.Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to (880') perched on a ledge overlooking the pool at the base of Cooper Brook Falls cascade.Jo-Mary Road (the major access road in this area)Mud Pond (outlet)Antlers Campsite on Lower Jo-Mary Lake is on the site of "Potter's Antlers Camps", known for its excellent fishing. The camp was closed in 1949, but several buildings remained available for use by the public until the 1970s and remnants of the old lodge can still be seen in the clearing near the lake. From early 1800s through the early 1950s, a series of sporting camps were built throughout the Maine Wilderness catering to the wealthy who stayed for extended periods to hunt, fish and vacation. During the early part of the 1900s, work crews built crude roads (known as corduroy roads) made from felling cedar trees and laying them cross-wise to provide traction through boddy areas. Much of the original AT in Maine was routed along a series of camps taking advantage of the already cleared 'corduroy' roads.In good spirits, and not too weary from what was a fairly flat lake country hike, Irish and I set up camp at Antlers Campsite - situated on a point among towering red pines. Each of us claimed a side of the peninsula and established a cooking area in between.   (Reminding me of Lake 'Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg' in Webster, MA - "you fish on your side, I fish on mine, nobody fishes in the middle.¢)A beautiful night ¢ in the ¢puckerbrush¢, 30 yds from the water on lower Jo-Mary Lake, illuminated by the bright light of the Corn Moon rising, listening to the sounds, thinking¢¦¢K-Count¢ 5 September 13th ¢ my birthday!Good timber does not grow with ease. The stronger the wind the stronger the trees.            - Williard Marriott -
Date: 2006-09-09
From: Antlers Campsite (500')

To: Pemadumcook Lane - White House Landing 
Miles today: 4.1

Good day for a walk!Nice weather - some clouds. Met a SOBO ¢Lyle¢ who¢s done the trail NOBO, but likes winter camping better so he¢s off in the opposite direction. And, I think he¢ll have plenty of the camping weather he likes ¢ cold, bitter, blowing wind, ice, snow and all that ¢other good stuff¢ - better him than me¢¦While he¢s fighting the elements, I¢ll be hunkered down in my ¢old comfortable chair¢ close by the wood stove nodding and snoring myself awake!A slow, short, arduous walk past Sand Beach, Lower Jo-Mary Lake, Potaywadjo Lean-to on to Pemadumcook Lake (southwest shore) where we blew the airhorn signaling need for a boat ride. Met in short time we were ferried to this remote camp, located on the shore of Pemadumcook Lake in the foothills of Mount Katahdin, where we were treated to the gracious hospitality of the owners - Bill and his wife Linda ¢ who together keep this place running. Once a hunting and fishing lodge White House Landing caters to AT hikers¢¦a diamond in the ¢brush¢.   Stop and take it in! Before I forget ¢ EVERYTHING you hear or read about the 1 lb. hamburgers served at White House Landing is TRUE. It¢s tied with 12 lb. burger at Damascus Eats (VA) for Sandman¢s #1 Trail BURGER Blue Ribbon - not awarded lightly - AND¢¦Linda¢s pizza is bar-none is ¢THE BEST¢, but it¢s a helluva looooooooong trip!Show me the way to go home¢¦¢K-Count 4 Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.                                 - Robert Frost ¢
Date: 2006-09-10
From: Pemadumcook Lane - White House Landing 

To: Rainbow Stream Lean-to (1,020')
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: broken clouds

Daytime Temps ¢ 60sNight Temps ¢ 30s(but not for much longer¢¦)Headin¢ Out and Taggin¢ Along were going into White House Landing as we were leaving. This could put them 1 day behind and, if they don¢t spend the night, they may catch up and summit on the 13th, but I suspect it will be the 14th for them.Once back on the trail it was a 17.6 trek past: Logging Road,   Nahmakanta Stream Campsite Nahmakanta Lake (south end) (650¢). The nearly 100 year old Nahmakanta Lake Camps once belonged to Louis Ketchum, a famous Penobscot Indian. The purchase in 1990 of approx. 30,000 acres around the lake, has preserved one of the most beautiful lakes along the AT, helping to protect the view-shed of the AT. The Nat¢l Park Service owne the entire lakeshore with the exception of the Nahmakanta Lake Camps which are privately owned and operated.Other points of interest: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to; Nesuntabunt Mountain (1,520¢) which is home to a 10 acre stand of old-growth red spruce (some 17¢ diam.) and white pine (23¢ diam.) ¢ some 140 yrs. old. Crescent Pond (west end); Pollywog Stream (682¢) and Rainbow Stream Lean-to (1,020¢) ¢ the summit of Katahdin looms around the bend¢¦Beyond my wildest dreams!¢K-Count¢ 3¢¦Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tunes without the words and never stops at all.               - Emily Dickenson -
Date: 2006-09-11
From: Rainbow Stream Lean-to (1,020')

To: Abol Bridge
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

Sunrise: 6:08High: 66oLow:   34oSunset:   6:54Moon: Waning Gibbous ¢ Do you remember? One last astronomy lesson: The waning gibbous Moon is just past full and illuminated generally from the left. This phase of the Moon is seen to rise a little while after sunset. The gibbous Moon rides across the sky for most of the night and is still above the western horizon at sunrise. The Moon is in this phase for nearly a week between full and third quarter. For a few days or so after Full Moon the waning gibbous Moon appears nearly full and might be mistaken for a full Moon. The Moon in this phase sets just shortly after sunrise and is generally seen by casual observers early in the morning.Beautiful sunny bright day with temps close to 70 o. Easy walk through the woods over ground that¢s dried out and is not as swampy as we thought it would be. Irish is still walking with me, but he¢ll be leaving the trail and heading in to Millinocket. His band of ¢merry men¢ has disbanded! He will summit on the 14th probably in the company of Headin¢ Out and Taggin¢ Along. I¢ve made up my mind to hang around ¢til the 14th to celebrate with those who have walked many miles with me...Today my day was full of ¢Rainbows¢:Fairly flat leaving Rainbow Stream Lean-to onward to Rainbow Lake (west end) Side Trail and Rainbow Spring Campsite following the wooded shoreline of Rainbow Lake (east end) before a gentle climb to Rainbow Ledges (1,517¢), Hurd Brook Lean-to (710¢) and on to Abol Bridge over West Branch of the Penobscot River; junction with the international AT (588¢).Abol Bridge marks the end of the 100 Mile Wilderness and the prominent point in the river visible from the bridge is where Henry David Thoreau camped when he visited the woods in the 1840s.Met a new face:¢Rainbow Bright¢ - female SOBO hiker from Randolph, NH, but she doesn¢t know George and Bernice Brackett. Said her family¢s only lived there about 5 yrs.Called Bonnie from Rainbow Ledges to report the beautiful views of Katahdin washing over me and Irish. Told her I was ready to come home and if I could take an elevator up today I would. She asked me about my emotions. I don't know what to say.There it is...Somewhere over 'The Rainbow(s).¢K-Count¢ 2¢¦ All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the nos become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly.                           AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES.                              - Nike Advertisement -