morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-07-29
From: Pleasant Pond Lean-to

To: Caratunk, ME
Miles today: 5.7

After being thankful for surviving last night's storm (and having our tent hold up and keep us completely dry!) we were excited to get into town to dry out all our gear. The miles were quick and we strolled up to Caratunk's post office around 10:30 and called Zach from the Sterling Inn for a ride back to the bed and breakfast that him and his dad run together. By the looks of Caratunk we weren't expecting much out the Sterling Inn but boy oh boy we were pleasantly surprised! We continued to be shown on this trail that 1st impressions aren't always accurate and it's usually best to keep any negative assumptions at bay until giving it (situations, people, places, etc.) a chance...yet another lesson for us to take away from this journey! I'm pretty sure both our jaws dropped when we pulled into the Sterling Inn and walked through the front door; we were greeted by Eric, the owner, and shown up to our room. This was no hostel but rather a fully furnished bed and breakfast with all the amenities!! We both drooled at the comfy looking plush queen bed in our room knowing this was a huge upgrade from our tent floor...score! After getting settled in we got shuttled to Northern Outdoors for dinner. Again, we were in awe when we walked into what I would describe as a log cabin resort on steroids; a hot tub and corn hole games set up outside, pool tables, arcade, restaurant and brewery all in one place...what more could we need?!?! Plus they had Red Bull and vodka (my favorite drink in the whole wide world that I hadn't had in nearly three weeks) at the bar and microbrew beers on tap. Whooohoo...double score!We enjoyed their great food and drinks for awhile and headed back to the Sterling Inn for the night feeling blessed that we made it to town safe, happy and healthy! Dan and Jen (until we get trailnames)
Date: 2014-08-01
From: Caratunk, ME

To: West Carry Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: broken clouds

After taking the Sterling Inn up on their offer of staying 2 nights and getting the 3rd night free, it was time to get truckin' down the trail once again.Our morning started off by taking a canoe across the Kennebec River. Because of someone drowning trying to ford the river in the 1980's the official AT route now includes taking the ferry service to cross the river. I got a free ride while Dan had to put a little muscle into it and help paddle. The bottom of the canoe even included a white blaze on the bottom to further confirm we were still on the "trail"!Since we were well rested we wanted to get in some high mileage (at least by our standards) to make up for our extra day off. We were given quite a few good views via waterfalls and lakeside beaches. We have been getting a kick out of how what our guidebook lists as "ponds" are in actuality massive bodies of water that we would classify as lakes. To us "ponds" seem to imply a small body of water someone could have in therror backyard. No worries though, the ponds provide some pretty magnificent views so we don't complain.By late afternoon we were feeling pretty sluggish and considered setting up our tent at a Campsite at East Carry Pond. After taking a break and refueling with granola bars and cheese crackers we ended up moving along another 3.4 miles before calling it a day.While the extra days off were nice in Caratunk our bodies were feeling pretty beat up by the end of the day since they had already gotten out of sync of how it feels to hike all day. I guess you have to "pay the piper" one way or another out here on the trail. Dan and Jen (until we get trailnames)
Date: 2014-08-02
From: West Carry Pond Lean-to

To: Little Bigelow Lean-to
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: overcast clouds

We went to bed last night thinking we would hike another 14+ miles to meet up with a couple (Mark, Amber and Gidget, their dog) we had met in Caratunk. We first crossed paths with them in Monson and after enjoying their company in Caratunk we all thought it would be fun to to camp in between Avery Peak and Bigelow Mountain at 3,841 feet. Well...those plans were quickly thrown out when Dan and I could barely get out of our tent in the morning because our muscles were so sore. Apparently yesterday's miles really kicked our behinds!!After adjusting our game plan we decided an easy 7+ mile day was a better option for us. Sometimes it's really nice knowing that we only have a few miles to cover...we take longer breaks, not get in a hurry, take more time looking around and stopping at viewpoints, etc. We took a pretty long break at East Flagstaff Lake which gave us a clear view of Little Bigelow (the mountain we would be climbing the next day). Sometimes I wonder if it would be easier not knowing/seeing what's coming up to avoid those psych-out moments of "are we really going to climb that WHOLE thing?!"We reached the lean-to pretty early and was very happy with our decision to call it a day. A major factor of this being that it was a breezy area to keep the bugs at bay. Dan is always happy when we find a bug free area! There was also an area called "The Tubs" (pools of water...and ice cold I might add) that we used to soak our feet in. It sounded like some people get in completely to soak but that brought to mind images of Polar Bear plunge challenges so we just settled with dipping our feet.Another neat feature was the site had tentpads (basically raised wooden platforms) that provide a very level and smooth-ish surface to set the tent on. We took advantage of this since we use a free-standing tent that we don't necessarily have to stake down.We snuck in an afternoon nap and spent the majority of the day reading our books (yes we pack the extra weight because we love to read...so much so that our wedding theme was actualled centered around books) inside the tent while enjoying the calming breeze while letting our muscles recoup from yesterday's miles.We were hopeful all the downtime would help us to get through the Bigelow mountain range tomorrow...Dan and Jen (until we get trailnames)
Date: 2014-08-04
From: Horns Pond Lean-to

To: Stratton, ME
Miles today: 5.1
Weather: light rain

Once again we were pretty excited to get into town to do laundry, take showers, sleep in a real bed and resupply our food. When we woke up the sky was rumbling and we were lucky enough to get everything packed up before the rain came. After checking the radar (we finally had good cell phone reception!), the incoming storm looked pretty fierce so we hung out in the shelter while the worst of it passed and read our books and sipped on some hot tea. At about 9:30, we headed out in the rain and had pretty wet walk for a couple hours but knowing we were headed into town made it a little easier!After hiking the short distance to the trailhead by the town of Stratton, we called White Wolf Inn to secure a room. However, they did not offer any shuttle services so we would have to figure out our own way to get into town, about 5 miles away from the trailhead. Let's just say our first attempt at hitching a ride failed pretty miserably! We both were pretty uncomfortable with sticking out our thumbs and instead thought maybe by just standing by the road and channeling some telepathic vibes a passing car would just somehow assume we needed a ride...ha, yeah right!! After awhile, we eventually called Sue from Stratton Inn for a ride because our efforts were unsuccessful to say the least. We will have work on our hitching skills because at some point that will be our only option. Apparantly, I will mostly likely be the one having to do it since other hikers have said cars are more likely to pull over for girls. Umm, not sure how I feel about that but but we did sign up for getting out of our comfort zone when we decided to come on this trail...everyday brings a new experience, right?After successfully making it to town we were excited to see Mark and Amber in town along with another couple from Alabama we met in Monson, Michael and Kelly. Since we are behind the majority of other SOBO hikers, it was great seeing some familiar faces and we exchanged stories about the past couple days. We all decided that the trail was hard for us but we all had different reasons why...whether it be mosquitoes, the weather, or the actual climbing of mountains. The trail is definitely a personal experience for everybody!We will be back on the trail Wednesday (8/6) and I'm sure we will have some more adventures to talk about in a few days.Dan and Jen (until we get trailnames)
Date: 2014-08-06
From: Stratton, ME

To: South Branch Carabassett River
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: few clouds

Dan and I usually don't talk too much while hiking (all attention is on the rocks and roots so we don't break our necks!) but after have some TV time in Stratton, our topic of conversation was directed at recapping Deadliest Catch episodes we had watched in town. We both decided that the Northwestern is our favorite boat and crew followed by the Cornelia Marie. This discussion kept us pretty distracted from the climb up North Crocker Mountain, which was a pretty long climb totaling 5.2 miles.The weather was overcast all day so we were super excited when the skies cleared coming off South Crocker to give us a picture perfect view (big puffy white clouds and all!) of The Bigelows. When getting these views it's a great confidence booster to see what we've accomplished so far. We really are getting somewhere...even though it seems like it takes us forever to get there!Dan and Jen (until we get trailnames)
Date: 2014-08-07
From: South Branch Carabassett River

To: Popular Ridge Lean-to
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: clear sky

I have to admit that when writing these journal entries it's usually a couple days after the actual day since our cell service is pretty spotty out on the trail. Plus, by the time we roll into our tent at night I'm usually too exhausted to do anything but sleep. With all that said, some of the specific details from the day run into one another from other days. I'm hoping to do a better job of taking daily notes so I can give everybody a better understanding of our experience out on the trail.So with that out of the way, my memories from this day's specific hike mostly include how long the miles felt. While walking the distance of a half marathon throughout the entire day (instead of only a few hours like during a race) doesn't seem to be a big deal in actuality it's way more draining! At one point, we passed another hiker who commented that he wasn't sure whether to consider himself hiking, mountain climbing or rock climbing. Truth be told, today included all of the above.Dan and I have both decided that we prefer the areas where there are big elevation changes (which usually involves pulling yourself up onto rocks using both arms and legs) in a short distance as opposed to steady elevation changes over a longer distance. We'really hoping we still feel this way in another week or two when we hit The Whites...it sounds like there are a lot of bouldering sections that will be right up our alley. I guess we'll see for ourselves when we get there.
Date: 2014-08-08
From: Popular Ridge Lean-to

To: Piazza Rock Lean-to
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: clear sky

Maine = rain and once again it rained throughout the night but had stopped by the morning. The lack of sunshine over the past couple days were definitely wearing on our emotions and we just couldn't muster the energy to get up when the alarm went off. When we eventually rolled out of the tent we dilly dallied around and took our time making coffee and hot oatmeal (something we normally don't take time to do) in hopes of warming up our spirits. By this time the sun was brightly shining and we knew today just HAD to be a GREAT day since there wasn't a rain cloud anywhere in sight! We had a bit more pep in our step by the time we set out and quickly made our way up Saddleback Junior. The wind was whipping pretty hard but we didn't care one bit thanks to our wind jackets and all the healthy vitamin d we had been soaking up in the sun. We enjoyed the climb up The Horn as well and could see what Saddleback had in store for us next. It was almost like someone rolled out the red carpet for us and Finally gave a flat surface to walk on!! Of course there was still a large elevation change but we finally didn't have any roots to deal with since the path was essentially all smooth rocks with some boulder climbs thrown in there, for good measure. Atop Saddleback we had a 360 degree view and just couldn't get enough. For once we had made it to a summit without the nerve racking thunder in the background!!After convincing each other that we did indeed need to move on to make it to the shelter, we headed down. When we were almost to the lean-to I was caught off guard when I caught a glimpse of a green flash of something running towards us on the trail. It was actually the caretaker, Grace, from the lean to we would be staying at that evening out for her daily run. And yes she was literally running over all the rocks and roots (those pesky little guys once again showed up after getting off Saddleback) like it was no big deal. So impressive!We arrived to camp fairly early and took our time getting everything set up for the night. The miles today were actually fun and we were in a very good mood once again...and then our moods were lifted even further. Mark, Amber and Gidget, who we had figured were way ahead us, showed up at camp. We had some good laughs and were excited to be around some good peeps that we could hangout in town (Rangeley) with the next day. I love how the trail provides those unexpected reunions!Dan and Jen (until we get trailnames)
Date: 2014-08-09
From: Piazza Rock Lean-to

To: Rangeley, ME
Miles today: 1.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Walking into town always means it's going to be a good day! We met up with Mark, Amber and Gidget the night before at camp and we all walked into town together. We arranged for a shuttle with Stacey and Shane from The Farmhouse Inn and they came to pick us up from the trailhead.We immediately went into town and picked up our bounce box from the post office. While sitting outside going through our goodies we ran into Michael & Kelly that we had previously met on the trail. While chatting with them, they told us that they had come up with some trailnames for Dan and I after reading some of our trail journals! They officially named me GI Jen, after the Demi Moore movie GI Jane. It made me feel pretty tough! They tried to name Dan Floater after his incident with floating down the river but he refused the name because it wasn't tough enough. Lol!While eating lunch at a cute lakeside hamburger stand (that also sold lobster rolls...yummy!), we we given another unexpected treat in town...a Shriners Parade! It was fun watching all the grown men drive around in all kinds of minature cars and trucks. It felt like I was back home watching a good Ole local parade. After the parade, we went back to The Farmhouse Inn and there were tons of hikers, both NOBO and SOBO, that we sat around and exchanged stories with. It's so fun hearing everybody's take on the trail but it's also a bit overwhelming trying to keep track of all the information exchanged back and forth.At The Farmhouse Inn, we booked a private room that Shane, the owner, had recently refinished with all kinds of eclectic fixtures and trinkets. We had fun finding all the different ways they decorated the room with reused items. Stacey and Shane we so great and made us feel right at home!While explaining to Shane how frustrating the trail can be and how we sometimes curse the rocks, roots, bogs, etc. while banging our trekking poles around he told Dan it's like he's the John McEnroe, a very vocal tennis player, of the trail. We had a good laugh over the comparison and Dan's contemplating using McEnroe as his trailname as a result. A lot tougher sounding than Floater but maybe a little too intense. We will have to see whether McEnroe actually sticks.GI Jen and Dan (until he gets an official trailname)
Date: 2014-08-11
From: Rangeley, ME

To: Sabbath Day Lean-to
Miles today: 9.4

I think we have been in the state of Maine for so long that our internal body thermometers have been recalibrated as if we were local residents. Mainers (as locals call themselves) consider any temperature above 70 as being uncomfortably hot...and we kind of agree now.Being from St. Louis we were pretty used to being outside with a heat index over 100 during the summer so you would think we wouldn't be affected by the "hot" Maine temps. On today's hike it couldn't have been more than 75-80 degrees but we were pretty sluggish and just couldn't find our groove. It felt like we were back in the heat and humidity back home! As a result, the miles felt tough but once again we just kept pushing on. It's amazing how just putting one foot in front of the other really can get you down the trail!GI Jen and Dan (until he officially accepts McEnroe as his trailname)
Date: 2014-08-12
From: Sabbath Day Lean-to

To: Bemis Mountain Lean-to
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: light rain

As we passed some NOBOS today, they gave us the heads up that we could possibly run into some trail magic at a road crossing. With this in mind we hurried (which really isn't too fast for us still) down the trail hoping it would still be there for us when we got there.Nevermind that we reached the trail magic (Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer) at 10:30 in the morning...I guess it's always beer thirty when you are on the trail. There was even a nice bench to sit on while taking in the beautiful mountain view. Thank you Trail Angel for such a tasty treat! Even after only one beer apiece we felt a little tipsy which made for some giggles as we tried to maneuver over the trail. Oh how the little things on the trail can be so much fun!GI Jen and Dan ( until he officially accepts McEnroe as his trailname)
Date: 2014-08-13
From: Bemis Mountain Lean-to

To: Sawyer Brook Campsite
Miles today: 11.3

Yesterday some day hikers told us that 3 inches of rain were predicted for today so we weren't looking forward to getting out of our tents this morning. The wind was blowing all night long and you could tell a big storm was a brewing! Since we didn't know the exact timing of the expected downpour we contemplated just waiting it our from the comforts of our tent and not hiking at all. BUT since it was only sprinkling by the time we had our oatmeal and coffee for breakfast we decided not to waste the day and actually get in some mileage.Of course shortly after getting our gear packed up the rain started in and it didn't stop all day! We literally were soaked to the bone within a short time and had to keep moving just to stay warm. Normally when we take our snack breaks throughout the day we take our packs off but today we didn't take them off once! We only stopped long enough to filter water and munch down the snacks before we would be shivering and have to move on.Let's just say being cold miserable and wet makes for a VERY LONG day and the mountains seem twice as bad as what they really are. At one point coming down Old Blue Mountain I said that it should be renamed Old Beast because the downhill was such a beast. About that time we past a lacquered plaque nailed to a tree that I kid you not read "Ole b*tch". I guess someone had that same sentiments about that mountain as we did. I wish I could have gotten a picture but we kept our phone (what we use to take pics) stored away to protect it from the rain. Which also explains the lack of pictures altogether for today.At the very end of the day we rock hopped over Sawyer Brook (which would be a roaring river by morning) before finding a Campsite for our tent. It would be the first time (and I'm sure not the last) we would have to set up our tent in a downpour. I'd have to say we did pretty good and most all of our things on the inside stayed pretty dry. The worst part was that after changing into our dry "camp clothes" we both had to pee and I couldn't justify getting back out of the tent after FINALLY getting warm! Now this might be TMI but Dan has the luxury of using an old Gatorade bottle to remedy the issue but I just don't have that kind of aiming abilities, if you know what I mean. After tossing and turning for a good part of the night from my pee pains, we finally took extreme measures...desperate times call for desperate measures, right?! Well, I'm not proud of it but I ended up just sticking my tush outside of our tent under the vestibule and taking care of business right then and there. We figured with all the rain and mud things would get washed away and I could finally fall asleep. Not my best moment but pretty entertaining nonetheless!GI Jen and Dan ( until he officially accepts McEnroe as his trailname)
Date: 2014-08-14
From: Sawyer Brook Campsite

To: East B Hill Road, Andover ME
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: overcast clouds

As a result of last night's flash flood the trail today was one giant rain puddle that we had to slosh through all day. At first we tried to avoid the puddles but eventually gave up and just walked through the ankle deep water. Our shoes got a nice cleaning! At the first lean-to on the trail we met up again with Mark (now named Sweet Feet) and Amber and made arrangements to share a private cabin at Pine Ellis Lodging in Andover. Splitting the the cost with another couple would save us some moolah...who hoo! The four of us enjoyed the cabin stay and roasted hotdogs over a campfire for dinner. Next to the cabin is a covered Bridge and would be the perfect setting for a horror movie. We had some fun talking about scary movies until we freaked ourselves entirely way too much and had to change the subject. We will be back on the trail on Friday (8/16) and hope to be out of the state of Maine the next time we go into town. The other great thing about our next stop is that my dad is coming to come hike with us through The Whites! It will be so great to have him with us and give him a firsthand experience of what we go through everyday. We are super excited to see him and his excitement is sure to recharge our batteries!GI Jen and Dan ( until he officially accepts McEnroe as his trailname)