morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-08-27
From: Poplar Ridge shelter 

To: Carrabassett River 
Miles today: 13.1

8/27 milesWe had a bright moon last night, bright enough to hike by but we were already nice and toasty in our tent.Woke to a cold, constant wind and started our day in hats, gloves and jackets but by 9 am all that was off as the wind died and sun shone.It was a very slow hiking day or at least it seemed so and we attributed it to a couple variables, no coffee, warm tempertures etc. Just didn t know why the time was dragging and so were the miles.There were no big climbs, no big views so maybe that was why. We did a lot of climbing and downclimbing but mostly in the woods. That s okay tomorrow will be a big day.We found a nice site right next to the Carrabassett River. Actually made camp right next to rapids, Radar, Pi and I .Saw Tom B. today but that was all. It was quiet. We did see a new woodpecker black and white striped that Radar thought was called a king something woodpecker. Time is flying fast and we are making tracks. We only have about 200 miles to go. I wish I could slow it down.
Date: 2007-08-28
From: Carrabassett River 

To: Stratton 
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: few clouds

8/28 Carrabassett River to StrattonAnother beautiful Maine day. And it would be relatively easy one too. After a decent climb up South Crocker Mtn. and North Crocker Mtn., both over 4,000 feet, we would wind down the Crocker Cirque into the teeny town of Stratton. Since it was such an easy day we decided to celebrate alittle early and that buzz slowed us down but we made it into town by late afternoon, got showers, our mail drop, some beers and dinner.Sloth, Tom B., Radar, Sandwich and Mattahorn were all at the motel as well as the odd squad, a small group of hikers that just don t socialize well.Early night.
Date: 2007-08-30
From: Stratton 

To: Safford Brook tentsites
Miles today: 10.4

8 30 Stratton to Safford Brook tentsitesGot an early start out of Stratton but today s weather is a bit cloudy. That s what we get for taking a zero yesterday. Oh well.We climbed the Bigelow Range today and although it cloudy and foggy at times it was a great hike. Once up on the ridge, we were at eye level with the clouds and you could see them form and swirl around with the air currents. Nice climbs and big flat faces. I d love to do it again in clear weather.Around noon the skies began to darken and we decided that we needed to get off the ridge ASAP. Pi suggested that we get ready to set up the rain fly as a shelter in case we got caught in a storm.The sky turned black, the wind gusted and we finally got the fly up and the three of us crawled under. Just as thunder grew closer, Pi was trying to hold down one side of the fly by putting a stake in. Immediately we got hit! A bolt of lightning hit just as he was putting the stake in.Luckily litle damage was done...scared him more than anything. He said it was like putting your finger in a light socket only it went up his whole arm.Once it passed we pressed on. By 4, thunder began to rumble around us again and we decided to stop early that day at a tent platform and set up before the storm hit. We had cocktails and dinner and as we wrapped up the rain began. We hit our tents and the it poured all night long. We drifted off warm and dry in our nice tent. Ahhh...
Date: 2007-08-31
From: Safford Brook tentsites

To: Arnold Point s
Miles today: 12.5

8/31 Safford Brook campsites to Arnold Point on West Cary Pond 12.5 milesWell it rained last night and rained and rained and rained. So our early day today to get us halfway through the miles we need to get to the Kennebec River turned into a much lighter day. Although it was cloudy it didn t really rain today. We climbed Little Bigelow which was a cool climb. I would love to do it again in nice weather. When we got on top we were level with the heavy rainclouds being created before our eyes in the valley.Easy going and we saw Grasshopper and M and M still slackpacking and not liking their hike at all it seems. Terrible. But we also ran into Tick. He was a guy Pi and I met down at Trail Days this year. He was set up next to us and pretty much 3 sheets to the wind most of the weekend. He was in much different form. Actually he had to get off the trail for a while and couldn t get back on and hike to Katahdin before the bad weather set in so he flip flopped. Leaving PA to go to Katahdin to finish the hike from north to south. Well it turned out that he and Radar hiked a fair amount of the trail together in the south.Since we knew we wouldn t make a long days objective we headed to the next shelter, lean to, not wanting to tent in the rain again especially since we were going to have to get up early tomorrow. Once there we found a student group had already pretty much taken the lean to and since we wanted to get an early start and the sun finally came out, we decided to move on and look for a place to camp.Radar suggested checking out this Arnold Point just past the lean to. A small thin peninsula of land jutting out into the pond. We went almost to the end when the land widened a bit and Pi found an old campsite. Surrouded by water we were surrounded by a couple loons who seranaded us as we cooked dinner, dried things out and fed a small fire.
Date: 2007-09-02
From: Bangor ME

To: Bangor 
Miles today: 0.0

9/2 Bangor to Carrabassett Valley and back 0 milesWell about 3 am it started again...the Pain. Pi slept from all the meds they gave him at the hospital and took some more around midnight but it was too late and the spasms started again. So off we went to the ER again.But since he was just there they knew what to do. This time instead of just pain and prostate medication they gave him some anti inflammatory drug which seem to help immensely and by 7 he was back at the hotel but still woozy.Although he hadn't passed the stone yet, Pi was convinced that he would soon as the pain was gone even though the meds had almost worn off. So we spent the day trying to figure out how to get my pack from Carrabassett Valley and get back up to Carratunk. During our rode trip Pi continued to pee in a mesh funnel. Lo and behold a tiny yellowish crystal appeared. It's hard to believe something that tiny could cause so much chaos.We finally gave up and rented a car to go get the back but were unable to leave the rental car in another town. So most of the day was spent driving basically back up to the Sugar lLoaf Mountain area and get my pack which I am very grateful to the North Star Services for holding and driving back to Bangor.But not enough hours in a day so we are getting a shuttle ride from Steve the ferry man back up to Carratunk. Hope to be back on the trail tomorrow afternoon.
Date: 2007-09-03
From: Moxie Road 

To: Bald Mountain Brook lean to
Miles today: 3.0

9/3 Moxie Road to Bald Mountain Brook lean to   3 milesWell we will be leaving Bangor ME and getting back on the trail today!Since this is the last place that we will have internet access, this will be the last entry until after we summit.To compensate for time lost, we will start today s hike a little farther north than Carratunk and if we have time after summiting may come back to hike this missing section.The weather is beautiful and should be that way for a few days. We should be in Monson ME Sept. 5th and then we hit the 100 mile wilderness that we hope to hike in 6 days.Coming out of the wilderness at Abol Bridge we have another day's hike to Baxter State Park where will will summit Katahdin as soon as we have a good weather day and end our adventure the weekend of the 15th.
Date: 2007-09-04
From: JoeÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ´s Hole Brook

To: Monson
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Joe s Hole Brook to Route 15, Monson 22 milesWe re back on the trail. After getting Steve to shuttle us from Bangor, we decided to start 12 miles out of Carratunk in order to try and stay on schedule. Today began with a big climb up Moxie Bald. It was fun but cold at the top as the Canadian winds blew across the sub alpine terrain.The rest of the day was pretty much downhill or relatively flat so we made good time. We saw Spartan during the day and the three of us hitched into Monson.We bought some beer and went straight to Shaw s Boarding house, got a room, took showers and relaxed. Spartan, Grasshopper, M and M, BooBoo and some others were there. We found out that Radar spent a zero in Carratunk after a much deserved night on the town. Tonight we relax in cotton clothes and sleep on a wonderful bed.
Date: 2007-09-05
From: Monson

To: Vaughn Stream 
Miles today: 13.7

9/5 Route 15 to Vaughn Stream 13.7 milesGot a late start out of Monson. Trail towns just never seem to let go of you. It seems to take forever to get the few things you need to accomplish.After picking up our mail drop we figured what we still needed for the 6 days in the 100 mile wilderness and did alittle shopping at the general store. By the time we got back to the trail head it was 11. We are commited to hiking about 16 mies a day in order to hike the wilderness in 6 days, since we are only carrying 6 days of food.The weather is gorgeous with temperatures in the mid 70s and lots of sunshine. Today s hike turned out to be fairly easy with lots of ups and downs but none too strenuous.We saw BooBoo, Spartan and Z throughout the day. We had to ford two streams, neither too hard and no one slipped. We found a great spot to camp by the stream and its little falls. It chilled down quick so we made a fire, which warmed us as we ate our Mountain House dinners and drank our cocktail.
Date: 2007-09-06
From: Vaughn Stream 

To: West Branch Pleasant River
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: overcast clouds

9/6Vaughn Stream to West Branch Pleasant River 16.9 milesWoke to clear cold morning. Had my first night where I felt alittle cold during the night and had to add some clothes.Today we hiked the Barren Chairback Range including Barren Mountain, Fourth Mtn, Third Mtn, Columbus Mtn and Chairback Mtn. Hiking up Barren was tough but fun and we were on top by early morning. The rest of the day was constant up and down, none too big or small.I scared up two spruce grouse today. We saw BooBoo and and another woman we met at Shaw s and BooBoo hiked with us for a while. She like many hikers are very anxious to finish it. They are either tired or homesick or more likely both. Pi and I are still enjoying it, but Pi mentioned he was ready for it to be over. I can understand his feelings, doing this twice and I can understand all the other GA to ME hikers because they've been on the trail constantly for many more miles.Its very different for both Pi and I this time around. Although we made a few casual friends, and 1 very good friend Radar, its not like last year when there was a group of us hiking together whether for a couple days or a couple weeks. They were all people we had been hanging with for months. Radar probably just got into the Wilderness today so he's at least one day behind. We hope he can catch up. His zero day in Carratunk and my cutting the first 12 miles out of Carratunk really made it impossible for us start back on the trail together. I seem to have picked up a cold from our litle excursion into Bangor. Its not a big deal but I noticed that I was pretty sluggiosh going up today. We were able to find another nice campsite by the water. Tonight s dinner is seafod chowder.
Date: 2007-09-07
From: West Branch Pleasant River

To: Pleasant Lean-to 
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: clear sky

9/7 West Pleasant River to Pleasant Lean to 16.5 milesWell we took a hit last night. Some sort of rodent got into our food bag, chewed a a hole into the bag and got into a little bit of oatmeal. As we passed Spartan alittle down the trail he said he got hit too. Oh well not too bad for the time we ve been out here.We started the morning with a cold ford across Pleasant River. Today was incredibly hot and humid. Combine this with my head congestion and I wasn t getting a whole lot of air as I hiked up today. In fact the first mountain, Gulf Hagas,was harder for me than Wild Cat or the Arm. But it wasn t really that steep, I was just dragging.However it wasn t easy either. We climbed from 750 feet to 2,750 feet. Then another 1,000 feet in less than a mile up West Peak then down 500 feet then back up another 750 feet to Hay Mountain and then finally down 500 feet and back up another 750 to summit White Cap Mountain.Basicaly we hiked about 15 miles but about 10 miles were uphill. The humidity never really went down and lots of the trail was made of what Pi calls dirt ladders without any rungs.Didn t see anyone else until the end of the day except for BooBoo who quickly passed us. So the 3 of us ended up at the lean to due to the possibility of rain tomorrow.   We hiked so fast today, we got to the lean too early and are having perhaps 1 of 2 cocktails tonight. Dinner will be lentil stew.
Date: 2007-09-08
From: Pleasant Lean-to 

To: Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: broken clouds

9/8 East Pleasant River Lean To to Potaywadjo Spring Lean-toWoke to clouds and alittle drizzle. Spent the moning chatting with BooBoo and drinking coffee. By the time we packed up it was looking more like a sunny day. We had an easy hike today barely ascending or descending. It was nice getting down in elevation in that we were back in the bird zone and heard a lot of birds we haven t really heard for a few weeks.We also scared up 3 grouse.It was warm again. When we saw BooBoo at lunch she had mentioned stopping at one of the ponds for a swim. It sounded so good, although she did get a slug between her toes, that when we got to the lake we started looking for a place to takeoff our clothes and get in the water. We found a spot and it was heaven. We felt sparkling clean after our first swim in Maine. We spent the rest of the afternoon trying to hike without sweating since we felt so clean.It didn t work but it didn t matter as we made our way to the lean to. Excellent water source...a real spring. BooBoo and Ishmael were already here and a group of short term hikers made it into the lean-to and some at tent sites.Pi and I took a tent site far from the lean-to. Looks like the short term hiker group will be making a lot of noise, pretty late so we were glad to get the tent site.But we are at the lean-to now, cooking Shrimp Jabelaya and having a cocktail with BooBoo.
Date: 2007-09-09
From: Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to

To: Rainbow Stream Lean-to 
Miles today: 19.2
Weather: overcast clouds

9/9 Potaywojo lean to Rainbow Stream Lean to 19.2Glad we tented out last night and hung our food. Apparently the weekenders lost alot of food to mice at the lean-to and but because they had so much food they didn t care.No wonder there is a rodent problem. Beautiful weather this morning and we had our first real view of Katahdin. It s so close now and its so big.Once we got over the only real climb it was pretty much rolling terrain around lots of ponds and lakes. By afternoon it started to cloud up. So we motored to the lean-to before the rain.Z, BooBoo and Ishmael and another Canadian hiker were already there. We hung out with them and then slept in our tent listening to the pattering of rain.Warm cozy and dry.
Date: 2007-09-10
From: Rainbow Stream lean-to

To: Abol Bridge
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: overcast clouds

9/10 Rainbow Stream Lean-to to Abol Bridge campsite 15.7 milesA little misty rain fell this morning as we ate breakfast at the lean-to with everybody. Our first order of the day was crossing Rainbow Stream which like everything else here in Maine is much bigger than down south (what they call ponds we call lakes, streams are what we call creeks or rivers etc etc.). There was a crossing made of a few thin pine trees that looked tenuous at best especially because they were wet and slippery.Ishmael walked across but both BooBoo and Z decided to take off their shoes and ford it. Pi insisted it wasn¢t hard and that I could cross it. He went first no problems. I decided that I really didn¢t want to start the day with cold wet feet so I slowly inched over the logs and made it without slipping. It was going to be a good day.And it was. Our last day in the wilderness turned out to be sunny by the afternoon and the trail was flat (as much as flat can be out here) and easy. When we reached the end of the wilderness at Abol Bridge which crosses the West Branch of the Penobscot River our friend from PA, Louie, was there to greet us. He had driven up a few days before, secured a campsite and loaded his coolers with beer and food. Ishmael Z and a couple other hikers decided to keep hiking to Baxter Park so they could summit the next day, but the weather report wasn¢t good. From Abol Bridge campground you can usually see Katahdin but the top portion was obscured by clouds. So we showered and settled in, hanging out with a group of RVers from MA. Unlike many hikers this year, I am not getting very sentimental or too emotional about the trip coming to an end. For them, a way of life they have been living for 6 months with some very special people was coming to an end. For me it was more closure to a adventure. It was last year that I felt a flood of emotions as I left the trail and limped home.But there still is no sign of Radar. Pi and I wanted to summit with him but now we are just anxious to see him before we leave.
Date: 2007-09-11
From: Abol Bridge

To: Baxter State Park
Miles today: 9.9

9/11 Abol Bridge campground to Baxter State Park 9.9 milesSince Louie had reserved the site here at Abol Bridge and we were all set up, we decided to stay here instead of packing it up and hiking it all into Baxter State Park. So we left most of our stuff here and slack packed the last stint into Baxter. Today was indeed a walk in the woods. Probably the kind of hiking most people think of. Flat, easy, along a running stream with lots of waterfalls. Louie and BooBoo drove up later and met us in the park and brought lunch. Once we stopped hiking we realized just how much the temperature had dropped. There was a cool wind too. You couldn¢t see Katahdin and we knew anyone summiting today would be facing wind, rain and maybe even snow and ice. While we were there, Dances with Sloths, Sandwich, Gorilla and Sublime came down from their summit hike, all successful. Sublime showed us his pictures and some video. You couldn¢t see any views and the wind was howling. Glad this wasn¢t our day. In fact we stopped by the ranger station for a forecast. Tomorrow is supposed to be cloudy and windy with clearing in the afternoon. The day after was supposed to be sunny. I quickly proposed we wait until the sunnier day to summit.We went back to the campsite and that night it poured!
Date: 2007-09-13
From: Katahdin campground (Baxter State Park)

To: Top of Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: clear sky

9/13 Katahdin campground (Baxter State Park) to the top of Katahdin 5.2 miles 5,267 feetSummit Day!6 am Woke to clear ,beautiful skies and Katahdin looms no longer in the distance. It looks so big. I can¢t believe we are actually going to climb to the top. We took our time having coffee and alittle breakfast and headed to the Park. By the time we got there, it was about 8:30. Two Dogs, Grasshopper, his wife and M & M were also in the parking lot getting ready.The first part of the hike is in the woods where there are no views of the impending peak. We crossed the crystal clear (and I mean CLEAR) Katahdin Stream and hiked up and along the water. It was all up hill now and the huge steps that forced me back last year although still steep didn¢t seem as bad. There was a cool breeze and I wondered just how cold it would be above treeline. I would find out in 2 miles as the woods thinned out to the stunted vegetation of the sub alpine zone. We hiked to the treeline where the trail now turned into a huge rockpile that seem to go straight up. There were a couple of scary moments where I had to jump from one rock to the other and the distance seemed to far for my legs or I had to climb up a sheer rock face that just didn¢t seem to have any hand or foot holds. But I either conquered them or found other easier (wussier?) ways around. I even slayed the couple places where we had to use rebar attached to the rocks in order to continue. Now the breeze was gone and the sun shone warmly. There was literally NO clouds around the mountain at all. We could look out probably 100 miles and see mountains we had hiked a couple weeks before. And Maine lay stretched out in all directions. Killer.Then we reached what is known as the Tableland as the terrain flattens out and it's like walking on a sidewalk at 4,600¢. We stopped here and ate sandwiches and snacks and relished the views, still not believing it could be such a beautiful day after the few lousy days before. Of course before gaining the peak there was one more section of steep rocky boulder land we had to gain. I didn¢t want to think about how hard this was going to be to get down so I just kept climbing up. I could see the peak above because I could see hikers above scuttling about like little ants. It was going to be busy up there. Most people gravitate to the summit sign, but I walked straight to the rock with my last white blaze on it. That was it. I finished this adventure, I could close this book and open a new one. Pi and I hugged tightly. What started as just an idea in the summer of 05, became a great wild and sad excursion in 06 and a crazy trip in 07. I saw some of the most beautiful parts of the East Coast, hooked up with some of the grooviest people, made lifelong friends and did it all with my friend , my lover, my Pi.Thanks to all of you who supported us (literally at times) through this. We couldn¢t have done it without you all.K¢ache and Pi
Date: 2007-02-13
To: Trail Journal for Rachel Lynch and Karl Schults
Miles today: 0.0

Here's the journal for all of you. We'll try to update this as frequently as we can. We may update when we get into town, or we may send updates home for the "support team" to post for us. We've got most of our planning done. Right now, we're just working on packing stuff into boxes and finalizing maildrop locations and send dates.The magic number is currently 11 Pinky and the BrainHere's a link for an Appalachian Trail map where you can follow along where we are as we journey North: AT Trail Map.Another good link for more detailed topographical maps is: Topozone Maps. Type a location name in the Place Name Search box, and it will find the topo map for you.Our e-mail addresses are below, but we're only checking them every couple of weeks when we're in town.Rachel: kurmit17@hotmail.comKarl: lostwanderer147@gmail.comYou can also Sign the Guest Book on the website. Just click on the "Sign" button on the left and leave us a message. You can also read other Guest Book entries by clicking on the "View" button.The Journal updates are being made by Karl's parents after the notes jotted down along the trail arrive in Vermont by Snail Mail. Expect a delay of 2-3 weeks. Pictures may be even slower to arrive. You can direct questions to the transcriber here: Karl's Dad: william.schults@hitchcock.orgThe Direct Link to this Journal is: http://www.trailjournals.com/pinkyandthebrain/You should be able to Right-Click on this link and select "Add to Favorites" to add this to your browser favorites/bookmarks.
Date: 2007-02-17
To: On Blizzards
Miles today: 0.0

Despite the three feet of fresh snow we have sitting on our lawn, we went up Gile mountain today. The snow had been fairly well packed down by a couple days of hikers, skiers and snowshoers, but going across the powerlines, we sunk in up to our knees. It made for some interesting hiking. The view from the firetower at the top was excellent. It was clear all up and down the Greens and the Whites.After, we came back to the house and packed up more maildrop boxes. We'll send off the first couple on Tuesday.The magic number is currently 7