morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-09-11
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-to

To: Spaulding Mountain Lean-to
Miles today: 8.0

RW MEANS Rain and wind. I woke up and didn't have a black eye from yesterday's encounter with a rock. It rained last night and was raining when I left camp at 7.   It was dark and the visability was poor.   A miserable day to hike. The trail wasn't bad and I made great time.   By 11:30 I had hiked 8 miles and was calling it quits at Spaulding Mountain Lean-to.   Hikers were already in for the night.   I was wet and cold. The wind was gusting at least 30 miles per hour.   The rain came in waves all day.   It would drizzle for a while and fool me into thinking it was over and then it would downpour for a while.   I was so glad to get out of it and huddle in my sleeping bag.I am just sitting out the rain.   A short day again and I am getting concerned about completing the hike.   I will stop at Stratton tomorrow and it is only 13 miles from here. To far to make it today so hiking more miles today wouldn't get me into Stratton much earlier. Despite wearing rain gear my cloths got wet. I hate rain. I had my second river ford today but again I was able to rock hop across without getting my feet wet.         The forest is mostly Spruce with some Birch mixed in.   The Birch leafs are turning yellow. The trail is becoming littered with Birch leafs. Tonight's forecast is cold, maybe into the high 30s, high winds and rainy. I didn't put my tent up like Nubbins and I may regret it because the wind is blowing through every crack and it is very breezy in the shelter.      Tonight I will eat extra food to lighten my pack and go into Stratton for a zero day and resupply.
Date: 2014-09-12
From: Spaulding Mountain Lean-to

To: Stratton
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

RW MEANS a Restaurant named White Wolf, which is where I had dinner tonight. Last night was very cold. The shelter is at 3139 feet. It must have been in the 30s and with the strong winds the wind chill must have been below freezing. I am going to have to start sleeping with my water filter again so that it does not freeze at night. I got up this morning a bit chilly and put on my wet clothes to go hiking.The weather was clear and we had a nice sunrise. The trail was very wet and so I wore long pants and most of my clothing for protection from the cold and wet. As usual the morning started with a stiff uphill climb of Spaulding mountain almost 900 feet to 4000 feet in 0.8 miles.   Then over SugarLoaf Mountain and a 1500 foot drop to the Carrabassett River.   This was supposed to be a river ford but when I arrived to my great pleasure there was a board across part of the river and I didn't have to get my feet wet. I left early and so I had the chance to sit on the rock in the sun for over an hour before Bismarck and Journeyman arrived. It was beautiful sitting there and looking at the trees and seeing the color start to the Crocker mountain.From there it was a two mile and 2000 foot climb up the Crocker Mountain at 4228 feet.   Even though it was 2 o'clock I could see my breath on the top of the Mountains.   After climbing down the mountain there was a woman parked right at the trailhead on the road and she offered and we accepted a ride into town. we were in our hotel by 6pm.
Date: 2014-09-13
From: Stratton

To: Stratton
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

RW MEANSZero day.   We are now through the hardest part of the Maine mountains. Only a few more mountains ahead and then we should start hitting the flat lands.The weather forecast is for cold all week with lows in the 30s and highs in the 50s and 60s. This morning the fog is so thick I can't see across the street. By the end of September if all goes as planned I hope to summit Katahdin. Today is just rest and resupply.
Date: 2014-09-14
From: Stratton

To: Stafford Notch Campsite
Miles today: 10.4

RW MEANS roaring wind Today we left the restaurant and got to the trail late at about 9 o'clock. Today is the last major mountain chain that we need to climb.   It is known as the Bigalow mountains. The day started cold near 40 degrees. The wind was gusting.   The wind in these mountains is never half way. It is either very mild or very strong and today it is very strong. The sky was steel gray and it had the look of November.                        The 5 of us climbed 3 major mountains today over 4000 feet.   The day started with a 2400 climb up South Horn, then Bigalow Mountain West Peak and then Avery peak.   All were above tree line and very tiring. The climbs were made even harder by frigid strong northwestern Canadian winds. At noon it was 40 degrees not counting wind chill.   The clouds hung low on the mountains all day and we all wore rain gear to protect us from the wind and cold.      I had nearly all my clothes on at one point.   I wore gloves and my nose dripped all day because of the cold.Early in the day I passed the 2000 mile marker.We are nearly out of the mountains with only 1 smaller mountain to climb tomorrow and then we should be on much easier terrain.   Tonight I am camped at Stafford Notch campsite. It has been a long time since I slept in my tent and I am happy to be in it again even though I am sleeping on an angle. This cold night will be warmer in my tent. The wind is still howling and the temperature is quickly falling. I have decided to sleep with my water filters just in case it drops below freezing.I am at Stafford campsite and hiked 10.3 miles and I am at 2007.5 miles.   To get to this campsite I walked by many boulders the size of apartment buildings and felt like walking partly through Mahoosuc Notch.   This campsite is below a high cliff and these boulders have fallen over time.
Date: 2014-09-15
From: Stafford Notch Campsite

To: West Carry Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 12.6

RW MEANS richly warmLast night was as cold as I feared but it didn't fall below freezing.   I hit the trail with most of my clothing on but soon the day warmed and I hiked in my tee shirt most of the day. The sun shined all day and the wind was calm but it still was in the 50s all day. We climbed the last mountain of the Bigalows and now it is mostly flat low lands.   I am at West Carry Pond Lean-to mile 2020.1 and hiked 12.6 miles.   The pond is beautiful and lots of houses and resorts are on the lake.   Loons are calling and the sound is so wonderful. I haven't heard many birds since early Vermont so it is nice to be low enough to hear birds again.Loon was the only other hiker at the shelter last night other than the 5 of us.   We didn't do many miles but all of us were very tired.   I am wearing down and my energy level was low today. This shelter is at 1345 feet so we are out of the mountains.   It is warmer here. I am sleeping in the shelter because we plan to hit the trail very early and rain is forecast for tonight.
Date: 2014-09-16
From: West Carry Pond Lean-to

To: Caratunk
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: broken clouds

RW MEANS River WadingLast night was warmer than the past few days mostly because I am at a lower elevation. Nubbins and I hit the trail at day break, 6:20 AM in our raingear.   It started to drizzle about 4:45 and didn't stop until about 11.   We made good progress and many parts of the trail were pleasant despite the rain.   The temperature stayed in the 50s. The forest is young and looks like this area was clear cut for logging in the last 10 to 20 years. At 2 we arrived at the Kennebec River and had to take a Canoe Ferry across the river.   There were about 10 hikers waiting for the 2 person canoe so I waited nearly 40 minutes for my turn. I am checked into the Sterling Inn, a nice place and I recommend it.   Tomorrow I start for Monson and plan to be there on Friday.
Date: 2014-09-17
From: Caratunk

To: Bald Mountain Brook Shelter
Miles today: 14.7

RW Means: Rusty Wonder. Given today by Walkintree. A previously deaf 3 time thru-hiker who recently had an implant so he could hear. He loved listening to the Loons and talked at length about how wonderful it was to hear them. Today ends six months into this hike. After breakfast we hit the trail. Nubbins stayed back and decided to leave several hours later. Journeyman decided to hike alone so he also left later. Loon left with us but is fast and soon outpaced us.I walked ahead and alone most of the morning. The morning was cool and foggy but the light through the trees and fog was stunning and I took lots of pictures of light-rays through the trees. The trail was a mixed bag today. Lots of roots that pulled, tugged, twisted, grabbed, and generally were intent on tripping me up. I had to walk high stepping for hours. There were also long nice flat sections where the trail was covered in spruce needles and as soft and smooth as a carpet. It was wonderful. The rocks are changing now from granite to a black slate. These black rocks are slippery even when dry. The trees remain mostly spruce with birch and maple mixed in. These hardwoods are getting more colorful everyday and I am looking forward to full fall shortly.I ran into Gray Ghost today who is flip-flopping due to injuries. The three of us hiked by several beaver ponds and after the cool morning the day turning into a wonderful hiking day with a beautiful blue sky. Now that we are temporarily out of the mountains and at a lower elevation the hiking is so much easier.   We climbed only one mountain today, Pleasant Pond Mountain at 2470 feet which isn't very high compared to our recent mountain climbs. Still it was quite a climb since Caratunk is at 520 feet, below the elevation of my house in Illinois. Regardless, I am not doing high miles because the tough mountains took a lot out of me. I am tired and sore and using these easy days to try and heal before the 100 mile Wilderness.   Even if I did hike faster, because I am so close to the end I would only save a few days, so why push myself hard for so little gain. There is only 136.5 miles to go.Tonight I am at Bald Mountain Brook Lean-To mile 2048.8. One section hiker named Indy from Kokomo, IN is here besides the 3 of use, so it is quiet.
Date: 2014-09-18
From: Bald Mountain Brook Shelter

To: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: broken clouds

RW Means: Reeling wind. Very windy today.Today is the first day starting my 7th month on the trail (6 months and 1 day). Last night was nice and I slept with my sleeping bag open most of the night. We left early and again I decided to leave early and hiked about an hour alone before Hopper and Bismark caught up to me. By then we were well on the way to climbing 1300 to the top of Moxie Bald Mountain, 2629 feet. The climb was long and as we neared the top the clouds moved in and the wind started to blow very hard. It was cold and windy and we had no views. After spending a few minutes on top we hurried down the mountain. After we came down a 1000 feet the weather warmed and the sky cleared. While still cool, I was able to hike in a t-shirt but still wore long pants. The trail was again a mix of rocks, roots, and spruce needles. There was evidence that the trail had recently been moved (likely within the last week or two). About noon we came to our first ford of the day and again I was lucky and able to rock hop across without getting my feet wet. There were several beautiful ponds we passed and it seems like I passed a pond every 2 hours that was more stunning than the previous pond. Such a beautiful area!As we hiked we started to hike next to the West Branch of the Piscataquis River. We hiked along the banks for miles. A wonderful river. Late in the afternoon we had to cross the river. This time my luck ran out and I had to walk through it. We all took off our boots and put on our camp shoes and waded across. It wasn't deep and the current wasn't swift. Surprisingly, the water wasn't that cold and gave me a good chance to wash-up. Still, the river must be more difficult in high water because there was a rope across the river for hikers to hang onto.Soon after the river and a short walk along the river we arrived at Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to. Much to our surprise, Journeyman was already there. Apparently, he left very early in the morning from his campsite and passed us before we even started hiking for the day. Loon was there and then Indy, Karate Kid, and HiKay arrived. Karate Kid is a superfast hiker doing high mileage days. HiKay is a middle-age woman from Germany who is hiking the trail alone. She is very interesting. The temperature started to get cold fast and by 7:30 everyone was in their sleeping bags huddled against the cold. We hung our food a long way from the shelter because the mice were already active by 6:30.
Date: 2014-09-19
From: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to

To: Monson
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: light rain

RW Means: Ready for the Wilderness, only 114.5 miles to go. Last night was very cold. Karate Kid's fancy watch said it was 20 degrees and summer. We thought that it was wrong since nothing appeared frozen. Later we learned that it fell to 28 degrees in Monson and they had a heavy killing frost. Near record cold even up here.We all got up long before daylight and packed. I was cold and stiff despite my winter bag. During the night I put on a shirt and socks and bundled up as much as possible. I used up the last of my fuel making coffee in the morning. We all hit the trail at day break with empty or nearly empty food bags and no fuel. We traveled very light today sure we would make Monson be lunch. I left early because I was cold and hiked alone for over an hour with most of my clothes on and stumbled along the rooty trail until my legs warmed up. After an hour of hiking the sun finally shone through the trees and it lifted my spirits as well as started to give some warmth to the day. The forest was very quiet. After a while I came to the East Branch of the Piscataquis River and was faced with another ford. I studied the river and downstream found a place, with care, I could cross on rocks and using some fallen trees. I was successful. I waited for the rest to show up. Loon and Bismark followed my path and had no trouble. Journeyman partly fell in and Hopper just put on her camp shoes and waded across. Then the fun started. Karate Kid came by and tried to follow in my footsteps, but since he didn't have trekking poles to steady himself he soon got stuck on a thin log in the middle of the river. Journeyman tried to throw Karate Kid his trekking poles. You can guess the rest; the first pole was 8 feet short and stuck in the river and the other was very wide of the mark and was in deep water. Journeyman thought the poles would float to Karate Kid -- trekking poles don't float in case you are interested. After various hilarious efforts to recover the trekking poles, Hopper walked back into the river to rescue them and also helped Karate Kid cross the river. We proceeded on and by 11:30 made our shuttle pick up and went to Shaw's in Monson for the night. We were talking about barbeque for days and were hungry for the barbeque place. Unfortunately, the owners are on vacation so the place is closed. We were crushed and went to the local restaurant for hamburgers. Shaw's is nice and besides the 4 of us, Hieke, Karate Kid, and Loon are staying here as well as several other hikers. Journeyman is ill today with an upset stomach, and on his birthday to boot. He is 65 today. We plan to zero here tomorrow and start the 100 mile wilderness Sunday.
Date: 2014-09-20
From: Monson

To: Monson
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

RW Means: Rope Warrior. I use the ropes to cross the fords.Today is a zero day and I am resting nicely and eating a lot of food. Tomorrow I enter the 100 Mile Wilderness with Hopper and Bismarck. HiKay is likely to leave with us. Journeyman is still feeling poorly and will decide tomorrow if he will hike and Nubbins is still considering a zero tomorrow so all I know for sure is that 3 of us are leaving. We plan to cover the Wilderness in 7 hard days. Day one is full of short but numerous steep ridges that will reduce my mileage for the first day and I expect will be exhausting. This is a prelude to three days of mountains that will also be below average mileage days, then into the marshy lowlands. Since it has been dry lately, we hope to make up time and do high miles in the lowlands. There are several river fords. According to the weather forecast, there is a 60 percent chance of rain Sunday but the temperature is forecasted to warm back up to normal.Bismarck and Hopper are very experienced AT hikers. Both have thru-hiked before and completed the AT in sections. Between the two of them combined, they have nearly hiked the trail 6 or 7 times. I am following their lead through the Wilderness. I feel lucky to have met such experienced hikers. We arranged for a cache of food 4 days out, so I will only carry 4 days and then get 3 days of cached food. The less food should also help increase my mileage. If all goes as planned, I will be in Millinocket next Saturday, then Sunday hike 10 miles into Baxter State Park, and on Monday, the 29th, summit Katahdin.   Monson is a small and friendly town. Shaw's is an excellent hostel and serves a good breakfast, which is the only meal they make and costs extra. The hostel is for sale at the moment.   The other hostel, Lake Shore, also has a restaurant and is only open for lunch and dinner. The food is good, on the expensive side, as all food seems to be up here, and the places are always crowded.
Date: 2014-09-21
From: Monson

To: 100 Mile Wilderness Long Pond Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: scattered clouds

RW Means: Rain in Wilderness. I will upload pictures eventually, but my camera is not working well today. The months on the trail are taking a toll and it is only working randomly today. I want lots of pictures of the wilderness, but I fear I may not have many given the failing condition of my camera. Only 99.4 miles to go to Katahdin. Today is the first day of fall, which means that I have hiked in all 4 seasons on this adventure. I started March 18th in the winter. We finally started the trail about 8:40 after a great breakfast. It was Hopper, Bismarck and me. Journeyman and Nubbins started later and I didn't see them again today. The hiking was not difficult but the trail was constantly little ups and downs and over the course of the day this added up to a fair amount of elevation change. The forest is magnificent and getting more beautiful everyday. The colors of the trees and plants are really coming on strong. Also, all day I hiked along ponds, lakes and streams. The ponds and lakes are deep blue and clear and there are waterfalls on the streams. The sound of rushing water frequently fills the air. About 1:30 it started to drizzle with occasional heavier rain, but no downpours. Just enough rain to make sure everything was good and wet all afternoon. The trail grew ever increasingly slippery as the black slate rocks shined with the wetness warning me that to trust a foothold on them was risking a slippery and muddy fall. I still fell twice. The three of us ducked into the Wilson Valley Lean-to about 3:00 and waited to see if the rain would stop. It didn't. Bismarck and Hopper decided to call it a day and stopped at this shelter. I don't mind the rain and it was too early to stop, so I hiked another 4.7 miles to the next shelter, Long Pond Stream Lean-to. The hike was wet but not bad and I hiked along a great steam with many waterfalls. I thought many times of setting up camp along the stream since there were many good camping spots. Today I forded 3 streams. The first was an easy rock hop. The second required wading. While wading my foot slipped and I jammed my left foot into another rock. My foot and toes hurt quite a lot and I wonder how they will feel in the morning. The 3rd ford was another rock hop but the rocks were slippery and my left foot fell into the water up to the knee. Very wet boot. I walked to the next shelter and hung my boots and socks to dry. Cat was already in the shelter and soon Indy and Hieke arrived and joined us. We were cozy but dry. We ate and talked about the wilderness and the final day climbing Mt. Katahdin. We were all excited to be nearing the end.
Date: 2014-09-22
From: Long Pond Stream Lean-to

To: 100 Mile Wilderness Chairback Gap Lean-to
Miles today: 10.9

RW Means: Reaching WonderfulThe countdown continues, only 88.5 miles left.Last night was warm but rainy. It rained off and on and at 5:30 it started to downpour so I and everyone else in the shelter slept in. It was incredibly dark and I wanted to wait until I could see before I started to hike. About 6:30 the rain stopped but the forest was soaked and the trees dripped water at the same speed as rain. We packed up slowly and by 8:15 I started to hike with my poncho on. I started wearing a poncho several weeks ago during rain because it provides so much extra ventilation compared to a rain jacket. It is more comfortable, but I am quite a sight since it is a bright chartreuse green. The trail was soaked and large mud puddles dominated the hiking day causing me to hike slower than I like. I leaped and walked around them when possible, but my feet were soon wet. I could hear the familiar sound of squishy socks with each step. Besides the water everywhere, I immediately began an all day climbing and descending routine on steep slippery black slate rocks. I fell several times. Many times there were small cliffs to climb and descend of 6 to 10 feet in height. Very tiring. I climbed Barren Mountain, Fourth Mountain, Mt. Three and a Half, Third Mountain, and Columbus Mountain. I think the numbered mountains are distance markers from someplace????In the afternoon a strong cold north wind picked up suddenly and the clouds got thick and dark. The forecasted cold front was announcing its arrival in a dramatic way. When we established the trail plan for the 100 Mile Wilderness, Chairback Gap Lean-to was our proposed second day stopping point. So when I arrived at 3:00 I decided to wait for Hopper and Bismarck hoping they would hike the extra miles and catch up. I set up my tent because the cold wind was blowing directly into the shelter. I had a nice protected flat spot.At about 5:00 MadJack and his wife showed up. MadJack started one day before me on March 17th and we bumped into each other many times on the trail. About a week ago MadJack fell climbing Little Bigalow Mountain and hit his head so hard he knocked himself out. Other hikers found him and gave him assistance. He went to the hospital, got half a dozen or so stitches and went back to the trail. He is my age, I guess, and very tough and very likable. He and his wife set up in the shelter.About dusk, Hopper and Bismarck made it in and were exhausted. They set up in the shelter too. Indy arrived later and had to rig-up his ground cloth into a trap and slept outside. He had forgone his tent to save weight believing there weren't enough hikers to fill a shelter at this late date.The sun set early and the wind howled when I crawled into my sleeping bag at 7:00. I was very concerned about the condition of my phone/camera since it wouldn't work most of the day. I did my best to keep it dry but it is failing.