morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-07-21
From: Gorham, NH

To: Tenting at Gentain Pond Campsite
Miles today: 11.8

Daily Miles: 11.8Total Miles 1888.0Today I saw my first mythical beast of the hike. No, not a unicorn, or a phoenix, or even a gryffin. I saw a moose! Ok, ok, it is not mythical - but try to convince Heather of that! (ed. note - after living in NH for almost 25 years I never saw a moose, they don't exist)Rockhound and I had gotten on the trail at 9:30, suffered through the heat and humiditiy and takent a lunch break/siesta for 2.5 hours. I slipped for the upteenth time on the rocks and landed heavily (tough to land lightly with a 35lb. pack) but was looking forward to reaching the shelter when we hit Moss pond. A cow moose of perhaps 500 - 600 lbs was hanging out in the middle of the pond, feeding on the aquatic plants. Rockhound and I dropped our packs and took pictures and hung around to watch - it was hiss first moose. The moose called a couple of times and Rockhound answered well enough that the moose started walking/swimming over to us! She got within 50 ft. repeatedly exchanging calls with Rockhound before getting out of the pond and heading into the woods. Very cool encounter!Skyline, Sundance, and Einstein are here tonight as well as section hikers Truck and Ameoeba. Tomorrow morning we cross int Mainde and will likely attach Mahoosuc Notch, the reputed " hardest mile on the trail" 5 more days until I see Heather and Tally in Rangeley and get to show Heather that moose exist!
Date: 2004-07-23
From: Gorham,NH

To: Maine
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Heather's EntryWell he is in his last state, Maine! Talked with Jeff on Wednesday night, he and Rockhound were 16 miles from the Maine border in Gorham, and under 300 miles left in the trek.They are shooting to be in Rangeley by Tuesday, and be to Kahtadin by the 12th, so the end is near.I should be getting more journal entries from Jeff soon!Have a good weekend!
Date: 2004-07-23
From: Tenting at Gentain Pond Campsite

To: Speck Pond Shelter, MAINE
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: haze

Daily Miles: 14.7Total Miles: 1902.7Yes rain, yes pain, yes MAINE! Rockhound and I entered our 14th state and final state today crossing into Maine around 10 AM.In addition to the NH/ME border and the mileages from Springer to Kahtadin, there was a blue sign bolted to a tree reading "Maine - the way life should be" I almost cried, but instead I ate a King sized Snickers bar - yeah, I am a thruhiker. (ed. note, I am not convinced that this would not be the same reaction, regardless to thruhiking or not)What a day! We went through the hardest mile on the AT today at Mahoosuc notch. It took us 1 hour and 45 minutes to hike through athe field of massive bolders. The temperature dropped from 75 to 55, the rocks were real cold to the touch and ice was present under many of the rocks. We put away our poles and scrambled, climbed, and swung our way through the bolder field. Going over, around, and sometimes under rocks is the place for extreme hiking if you are looking for it!The rain grew heavier after the notch and we climbed up Mahoosuc arm with heavy legs. 15 miles of this kind of hiking is a bloody long way! By the time we reached the shelter we were soaked and cold. Condor and Tom are here and have been great company, as well as the caretaker Caroline.We're talking of heading into Andover ME tomorrow to get dry and have some food. 271 miles left in Maine - It has been a fun and challenging state so far!
Date: 2004-07-24
From: Speck Pond Shelter, MAINE

To: Andover, ME
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Daily Miles: 14.9Total miles: 1917.6Baldplate Mt. is awesome! It is about a mile fo walking on sheer rock angled at about as steep an angle taht your shoes still grip, you feel like spiderman just getting to the summit.It was a tough day,not just because of the distance, but because of yesterday's rough hike had taken a toll on my body. The sun was out from mid-afternoon onward and it always makes the day so much better. My clothing was soaked from the night before, so I was wearing my camp clothes throughout the day.None of it bothered me much, however. We got to the road at 6:30, caught a 2-part hitch into town and found a spot at the Andover Guest house. Decent place with a fairly psycho hostel keeper. Dinner was much more friendly than the guest house rules so I spent my time eating, then crashed early.
Date: 2004-07-25
From: Andover, ME

To: Tenting beside South Arm road
Miles today: 10.1

Daily Miles: 10.1Total Miles: 1927.7Good sunny, relaxed day today. Condor, Rockhound and I enjoyed the breakfast buffet at the diner. Melon & Bacon, Coffee! It was fifty degrees in the morning again, so I hung out by the wood stove at the guest house and read for a while. Once we started hiking we cruised through the first 6 miles then worked our way up Moody Mountain, how hard can one mountain be on a 10 mile day though? WE worked our way down to complete the rest of the day.I am getting massively sick of eating pre-purchased freeze-dried meals and traded Condor 3 raman noodles for a Mountain House Meal. Good deal on both sides, I lost a bit of nutrition, but gained quite a bit in happiness.Tow days and 27 miles to go to my next visit with Heather and Tally. I am still loving the views and the exercize. Condor and Rockhound have been great company - keeping a good flow of laughs going for days. On the otherhand, it is just 246.4 miles to Katahdin. As we say out here, I'm ready to "Git 'er done!"
Date: 2004-07-26
From: Tenting beside South Arm road

To: Tenting @ Sabbath Day Pond Lean-To
Miles today: 17.0

Daily Miles 17.0Total Miles: 1944.7Another great day on the trail. I walked the first 9 miles alone anf found myself falling into a really easy rhythem, climbing Old Blue, Elephant, and Bemis Mountains without taking a break. When Rockhound and Condor caught up we had lunch and walked together in the afternoon. Condor's friend 'DGO' (trail name - don't got one) joined us for the last 4 miles and will be hiking with Condor for the week.The Sand Beach @ long pond is great. The day was unfortuneatly cooling down a bit too much for my liking, but it was great for a wade & wash off.Today was our 3rd sunny day in a row. Nighttime temps around 50, daytime temps around 70. Just perfect weatehr for walking. Since my biggest downer on the trip has been rain, I am loving the sun! If the weather could just hold out like this for 2 1/2 more weeks...There is a camp group here tonight, out for a 7 week/300+ mile trip, a great experiece for high school sophomores! A former thruhiker is here with his 2 boys as well. They're hiking from Pinkham notch to Katahdin and planning on finishing around the same date I am (August 12th).Tomorrow is a 9.4 mile hike into town and I get to see Heather and Tally! Heard loons calling for the first time last night! What an eerie sound!
Date: 2004-07-27
From: Tenting @ Sabbath Day Pond Lean-To

To: Gull Pond Lodge, Rangeley ME 
Miles today: 9.4

Daily Miles: 9.4Total Miles: 1954.1Easy, easy, stroll today. The girls at the shelter started making some serious noise at just before 6AM. So I packed up and started walking. There has been a lot of mud and puddles on the trail. Tought to keep your feet dry but awesome in the number of moose tracks often outnumbers the hiker tracks! By 10 AM I slipped off a couple of downed logs and rocks and soaked through both shoes. Normally I'd be a bit upset but, 1. it is Maine - you get wet here2. Heather is due around noon3. I am doing laundry todayIt is almost noon now. I just mended the pocket on my pack that ripped going through Mahoosuc Notch. I talked to a few day hikers as well. There is a lot of "congratulations" and "you're almost there" when they find out I am a NoBo - northboud hiker.Of the 220 miles left, only about 65 are really mountainous. My first view of Katahdin comes in just 5 miles. Volleyball starts in a month, so I spent much of my morning's walk thinking about the team and how I am going to start the season. Looking forward to playing and coaching the game I love. Teh ability to go home and shower afterwards will be nice too!
Date: 2004-07-28
From: Gull Pond Lodge, Rangeley ME 

To: Poplar Ridge Lean-To
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: overcast clouds

The mist got in the way. Again. From the top of Saddleback Mountain ¢ had there been a view ¢ we could have glimpsed Katahdin for the first time! Instead, everything was white. Appropriate as that¢s been the view from almost every high peak on the trip! On the other hand, the big K is just 210 miles away and we will see it soon.I had a wonderful stay with Heather and Tally at Gull Pond Lodge. Lots of good food in Rangeley & a bunch of hangout time. Heather got to meet Condor finally and we hung out w/ Rockhound and David, a section hiker. Rockhound & I got dropped off by Heather around 1pm today. The next time I¢ll see my fianc©e will be at the base of Katahdin and I¢m not leaving her for a long time after that! The predicted rain held off and I had a good walk despite my heavy pack.I¢m now carrying minimal fly fishing gear. Can¢t wait to use it ¢ perhaps a couple days from now. Five days food including treats from my parents & cousin Sue filled my pack completely. Despite the weight on my back, I had only one minor fall. I¢ve slowed my hiking pace over the past week and feel much more comfortable for having done so.There are only 3 clusters of big mountains between here and Baxter State Park ¢ the end of the trail. Unbelievable! I can count the big climbs remaining on one hand! It blew my mind yesterday when I looked at a map of Baxter and couldn¢t trace the AT through the park. That¢s ¢cause it stopped! Wow! The end is just weeks away!
Date: 2004-07-29
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-To

To: Sugarloaf Mountain
Miles today: 10.9

An abandoned building on top of a ski mountain can provide comforts enough to make me smile all evening. That is one of the joys of this thruhike ¢ appreciation of simple blessings. The old gondola hut here at Sugarloaf has electric power, so there¢s a small radio, a light fixture and a toaster! It gave a beautiful view of the sunset & rising full moon and is now shielding Rockhound, Condor, DGO, some other hikers and myself from the whipping winds. The cell phone reception is great too as the tower is only 100 yards away! I was able to talk to Heather and catch up with a few other friends.198.4 miles to go. 2 big climbs tomorrow, then only little stuff for a while after that. The trail¢s been beautiful ¢ waterfalls, rolling forest and occasional exposed peaks. I talked to Condor tonight about the end of the mountains. He asked ¢won¢t you miss them?¢ I replied ¢only if the mud & insects in the wilderness really stink!¢ I¢m ready to try something new & different. Hopefully the flatter terrain will give my knees and feet a bit of relief as they¢ve been hurting steadily since the White Mountains.Chestnut ¢ a thruhiker I¢d last seen in northern PA ¢ caught up to us today. He¢s still planning on doing the International AT. That¢s about 650 miles extra beyond Katahdin to Cap Gaspe in Quebec. Great to have lunch with him & catch up on the crew behind us. He says Hoplite & the Patpack are likely 3 days back, so I fear they won¢t catch up by Katahdin. I can still hope.Longer day tomorrow ¢ 15.5 planned. Hope it¢s as smooth and enjoyable as the last several have been.
Date: 2004-07-30
From: Sugarloaf Mountain

To: Horns Pond
Miles today: 15.7

Another beautiful day ¢ we¢re getting some of the best weather of the whole trip in Maine! The mountains were pretty tough today but dinner more than made up for it! I lugged a few pounds of Rockhound¢s stuff up the last climb. In exchange, he hitched into Stratton and picked up keilbasa, red onion, horseradish mustard, buns & a root beer for me! That¢s gotta be one of my top two trail meals ¢ it was insanely good!The pond here is real pretty. I broke out my fishing gear for a while but only got one trout to rise. Good to get a bit of practice time in though since it¢s been two years since I fished last. I did a good job not hooking section hiker David ¢ now named ¢Damaged¢ from the wounds he¢s incurred on his legs & feet. Sometimes not catching anything is better than hooking a hiker!I just went through my trail guide and set out possible dates for where I¢m staying through the end of the hike. Definitely in range to summit on the 12th. Might slip to the 13th, but I doubt anything beyond that!Saw my second moose of the trip coming off the mountain this morning. I think it was a cow since I didn¢t glimpse antlers but it moved away pretty fast after hearing me.Nice time hanging out with SOBOs Louise & Hawkeye (w/ dog Chewy) and caretaker Jen in addition to Rockhound, Condor, Damage and father & sons: Slowtoe, Magic and Bug. Louise & Hawkeye are just out of the Navy and Hawkeye had a bit of single malt scotch with him. That¢s by far the best stuff I¢ve tasted on the trail!12 miles tomorrow? 17? We¢ll see what it feels like. I don¢t need to stay in Caratunk if I¢m staying in Monson 2 or 3 days later¢¦
Date: 2004-07-31
From: Horns Pond

To: West Carry Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 17.5

The wind on the top of Bigelow Mountain was incredible! It was blowing so hard I could barely cling to the trail at times. 45 mph winds blew my beard sideways and made the last 4000-footer before Katahdin one to remember!I hiked the first 10 miles alone today and had a great time thinking about things I want to do when I get home: how to restart my web development business, how to run the setter-training part of my volleyball practices and more. The climbs & miles flew by and the views were great. Mist was dancing amongst the peaks but a good expanse of mountain ridges were still visible in most directions.Tonight I¢m chowing on all my remaining food. Rockhound & I will be hiking 14 miles to the Kennebec River ferry tomorrow, then staying in Caratunk. I spent an hour last night & this morning planning the rest of the hike. It¢s looking like Heather will be meeting me on August 12th to summit Katahdin. My friends Tim & El are expecting their first baby right about then, so I¢m hoping to time things just right so I can visit without showering first!OK, I¢ll shower. I¢m going to keep the beard for a little while though!Oh yeah ¢ I crossed the 2000 mile mark today! Yay!
Date: 2004-08-01
From: West Carry Pond Lean-to

To: Caratunk House, Caratunk, ME
Miles today: 14.0

The calls of loons are becoming common up here. I heard them at both West and East Carry Ponds. They were visible swimming in East Carry and Pierce Ponds as well ¢ very cool birds!We crossed the Kennebec River at the end of the day (2pm). The official Appalachian Trail is a ferry by canoe across the river. There¢s even a blaze painted on the floor of the boat! So after a beautiful day of walking through the deepening Maine woods and walking along the falling water, we walked into Caratunk.Paul Fuller runs what might be the best hiker hostel on the entire trail. The hamburger & coffee milkshake (a full pint of ice cream) were incredible. Paul is a former AT & PCT thruhiker and just wonderful to talk to. The Caratunk House is the most likely place for me to stay and hang out with thruhikers in future years, I¢d say!Rockhound, Damaged and I caught a lift from friendly ¢Jimmy Two Dogs¢ to the brewery @ Northern Outdoors ¢ a place I¢ve been before on rafting & snowmobiling trips. We finally caught up to MoonPie and had dinner with her, Chief & Jethro, Singe & Spam and Chestnut. They¢d done a 4 mile day today and were great company. I¢d said goodbye to MoonPie in Massachusetts and didn¢t expect to see her again.Only 152 miles to go now. The end is starting to feel real close!
Date: 2004-08-02
From: Caratunk House, Caratunk, ME

To: Moxie Bald Lean-to
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: broken clouds

This evening coyotes added their chorus to the calls of the loons as we watched light fade over Bald Mountain Pond. Chestnut, Chief & Jethro, MoonPie & Rockhound had hung out with me on the exposed summit of Moxie Bald, eating blueberries and looking at what might have been Katahdin in the distance before hiking to the pond. This is the way life should be ¢ and definitely how this trip should be ending.Paul served us an awesome breakfast to send us off and I picked up my 2nd to last maildrop at the post office. My Mom & Dad sent a care package again ¢ it¢s been great to get their packages in addition to the big boxes being assembled and sent out by my bro and Cic!19 miles is still a long way to go ¢ especially when your shoes are falling apart! The leather on the arch side of my left shoe has torn nearly loose. Let¢s see how it does on the 18 miles into Monson tomorrow. I¢d love to finish the trip in these shoes but may have to find a way to buy a new pair.132 miles left. There¢s a lot of talk of summit dates and introspective conversation. Great group to be hanging out with as the trip comes to a close.
Date: 2004-08-03
From: Moxie Bald Lean-to

To: ShawÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Lodging, Monson, ME
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: few clouds

Each day is momentous at this point. I hiked much of the day with Chestnut, Rockhound and MoonPie. Chief and Jethro were with us at times as well as we forded out first real rivers of the trip. They were easy crossings ¢ only mid-thigh and slow current. But at least we had to get wet for the first time on the trip.Chestnut¢s an amazingly easy-going guy, a repeat thruhiker living in Rhode Island. His advice and MoonPie¢s flight scheduled for 8/12 just turned my plans upside down today. Instead of taking our time and summiting on the 12th, we and Rockhound a going to push 20-mile days through the 100-mile wilderness to enjoy each other¢s company and move our intended summit date to the 10th. That¢s just a week from now!I¢ve called Heather, my parents and brother since the next phone is on the other side of the 100-mile wilderness. Tomorrow we enter the final long stretch before entering Baxter State Park at the foot of Katahdin. I¢ve got great company, 4-5 days food and one-and-a-half shoes. I¢m ready!
Date: 2004-08-04
From: ShawÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Lodging, Monson, ME

To: Long Pond Stream
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: scattered clouds

So far, the wilderness has lived up to its name. Our walk today was filled with roots and rocks & mud as well as waterfalls and beautiful rivers to ford. Great day ¢ but tiring!After a huge breakfast at Shaw¢s, I hit the post office and called Heather again to fix our new plans for a summit on the 10th. Leprechaun, a former AT & PCT thruhiker and current AT ridgerunner in CT, decided to hike with MoonPie, Chestnut, Rockhound and I for the day. We rode in his truck to the trailhead, walked past the signs warning us that there were no services available for the next 99.7 miles, and into the wilderness.The funny thing is that we passed about 8 people, 3 dirt roads and a set of railroad tracks today! It¢s rough, but it¢s not wild. Because of out 11am start, we got only 15 miles in before making camp around 7pm. We¢ll make up some miles in a couple days once the terrain flattens out a bit more.We had to ford a river for the second day in a row. Big Wilson Stream was flowing fast to mid-thigh. There were no falls but lots of fun trying to stay upright and avoid the deep spots!We had a small fire tonight and toasted marshmallows. I¢m trying to come to terms with the end of this trip and enjoy it to its fullest at this point. As much as I want to get back to Heather and my life at home, this is an experience I will not have again.The stream is thundering right past my tent as I finish writing tonight. Should be a great night to sleep with the soothing noise and all my built up fatigue. 100 miles to go!
Date: 2004-08-05
From: Long Pond Stream

To: Carl Newhall Lean-to
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Tough, tough day today! I enjoyed myself much of the day, walking & talking mostly with Chestnut. Rockhound & MoonPie joined us at times and we all hiked together for the last 5+ miles. Rockhound powered our charge for the shelter at that point since my more leisurely pace wasn¢t going to bring us in ¢til after dark. As it turned out, we did the last 5.5 miles including 2000 feet of ascent in less than 2 hours and got in 30 minutes before dark. I¢m pooped!Barren Mountain had a nice view this morning. Chestnut & I enjoyed the warm sun & crisp air looking down on the wilderness beneath us. He¢s doing the International AT ¢ 650+ miles past Katahdin, so this isn¢t quite the end for him.The roots made the day tough & long. There was one wide but shallow ford late in the day that was quite refreshing. Being forced to cool down your feet is always a good thing. The trail was full of PUDs though ¢ pointless ups and downs ¢ that just sapped our energy.I just ate dinner in my tent listening to the gusting wind up here at 2000 ft. There are a few more peaks tomorrow, then it¢s pretty much flat from there to Katahdin ¢ 70 miles of low walking.9:30 already. I¢ve got to get to sleep & get ready for another hard push tomorrow! 79 miles to go!
Date: 2004-08-06
From: Carl Newhall Lean-to

To: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to
Miles today: 18.9

This has to be one of the prettiest shelter locations on the entire trail! Cooper Brook cascades over some layered rocks into a deep pool 30 feet from the shelter. The only thing missing is trout in the water and more hours in the day so that I can go fishing for ¢em! Chestnut, Rockhound, MoonPie and I had dinner on the rocks overlooking the falls with Midnight and Gotta Hike, both former thruhikers.We had a beautiful relaxed hike today over the peaks of 3750 foot White Cap Mountain ¢ the last mountain over 2000 feet ¢til Katahdin. There¢s such a difference between yesterday¢s roots, rocks & mud and today¢s easy cruisin¢. We walked through 15 or 20 minutes of rain, dried off while walking and Chestnut & I just talked away the miles again. Rockhound and MoonPie walked behind us most of the day.The view from White Cap was partially obscured so I have yet to see Katahdin. It¢s only 60 miles away now, too! I was thinking it¢d be funny to walk up Katahdin and finish the trail having never seen the entire mountain¢¦I saw my third moose of the trail today. She was eating in a lake just 5 miles from here. We passed a spruce grouse as well and it let me take pictures from just one foot away. Very cool.We¢re hanging out by the fire Rockhound built to burn his brown pair of socks (he seems convinced the orange and yellow pairs will carry him to Katahdin.) The heat from the fire feel great on this cool, bug-free night. I usually retire to my tent about this time but am trying to capture a few more moments with the crew, talking about plans for the final 4 days of the trip.If the walking for the next few days is as flat and easy as it looks, this will be an extremely pleasant end to the trip! Now if only Hoplite would catch up with us! I miss that guy¢¦