morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-07-06
From: bemis mountain lean-to

To: piazza rock lean-to
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Slightly lazy start today, hit the trail at 6:25. The first few miles were mostly flat to downhill. Some sweet views of the mountains in the distance partially obscured by a few layers of haze.Got to a road and we came upon a cooler. Always a welcome sight. In the cooler was a Natty Light. TB and I downed it, it was 7 something in the morning.There was a stream we had to "ford". Managed to mostly rock hop it and only get our feet a little wet. Up the next hill back up to the ridge we would follow for most of the day.More flatness on top. We even managed to get back up to our normal pace for most of the time, slowed down by mud in many places but that didn't throw us off too much.Lots of ponds today. One even had a sandy beach of sorts. Not much to it though so we pressed on.Took a break near another pond with the wind blowing across it. Bugs are bad in this area, so most of our breaks were short today.Long flat miles today. We went quick, and decided we would hitch into Rangeley for dinner and a snack resupply instead of eating what we had.As we were approaching the road, we came across the stream, and it had 3 beers in it. Too perfect. Ice cold beer for free. Of course we partook.We arrived at the road, and what did we find but yet another cooler that was fully stocked and a note telling us to dig deep and eat up. It had blueberries, strawberries, apples, plums, candy bars, pop, beer, juice, and all manner of goodness. We ate a bunch. Who could resist fresh fruit? Not a hiker. Absolutely amazing. Probably the best day for trail magic on the entire trail. Thanks to all the people who put it out.Stovie asked a couple in the parking lot if they were going into Rangeley and they said they were and would take us into town. Can't beat that. Even told us about the places to eat and recommended one.We went to the Red Onion and TB and I each had large pizzas. I had the Rueben pizza and it was quite good. Finished it crust and all of course.Headed to the IGA for some snacks and a guy pulled up in a pickup and told us to hop in. Ok. Got some snickers and a Lipton and we went out to hitch back to the trail. A former thru hiker picked us up and took us back. Easy in and out and good food. We need to get ahead of schedule near a town more often.Easy couple miles up to the shelter. The privy here is amazing. A two seater side by side with a cribbage board in between them. Didn't have any cards though, not that I even remember how to play.Today we finally had some easy terrain and made the miles we were planning on doing. An excellent day. Amazing trail magic, and town food. Great day, and some good mountains coming up tomorrow.
Date: 2008-07-07
From: piazza rock lean-to

To: spaulding mountain lean-to
Miles today: 16.9

Up and out around the normal time. Hitting Saddleback first thing. Had a four mile climb up to the first peak, but the grade was pretty good and it went pretty fast.We were passing a pond on the way up and sound from the water. Guessed it was a moose and went up to the edge to check it out. It was a moose heading towards shore with a calf in tow. Not too far away either. Booked it out of there without even getting a picture. Cool to see though.Saddleback was really sweet. Above the treeline and we could see forever. You can supposedly see Washington and Katahdin from here but it was a little too hazy for that. Took a break to bask in the glory and cool off in the strong winds. I was angling my trekking poles to keep my balance up there.We hit the Horn after Saddleback. Same elevation and view. Almost like we were back in the Whites.All good things have to come to an end though so we headed down and over Saddleback Junior and made our way down from the trio.Got to a stream ford and tried to rock hop it. Problem was there was one stone missing in the middle. TB stepped on another one just below the surface, but I tried to jump it. I made it but slipped off the rock and a foot went in. Stovie easily made it with his long legs.Took lunch on the other side. Decided where we were going to aim for tonight.It was getting hot so we were going a little slow up the next climb. Made it up sweating profusely and ran a nice ridge for a couple miles to a shelter where we were going to water up and take a break. We got there and there was a sign that the Sugarloaf summit lodge was closed. This was where we were heading. It is an abandoned ski lodge on top of the second highest peak in Maine. Sounded like a winner. We were a little upset we couldn't go up there and decided it would work out the best if we just stayed put for the night.Built a fire in an attempt to fight off the bugs, but it failed. Planned out the rest of our trip and resupplies to make sure we were on track.At the shelter with a couple SOBOs. Tons of them on the trail now. Passing about ten a day. Probably going to start seeing some crowded shelters.
Date: 2008-07-11
From: bald mountain brook lean-to

To: monson, me
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: clear sky

Up and out at the normal time. First thing we had a climb up a mountain, but the grade was easy despite grave warnings of its difficulty from some SOBOs. Guess its about time to consider them sectioners and ignore all advice. Too new to the trail still.The top was a rocky dome and the views were pretty good. Right up top there was a large circle of dead trees. None were alive. Odd, wonder what caused it.We also saw Katahdin for the first time from the top. The end is within sight.Back down the mountain, our last for a couple days. Hit some flat trail.The trail was pretty wet in spots. Wet meaning the trail was a stream. TB and I took the plunge and decided to just get the shoes wet and fly through it all. Stovie somehow managed to keep his dry the entire day. He must have picked up on Indian Summer's hoverhiking technique.We forded a stream where TB wiped out hardcore and the trail followed it downstream for a long time. Eventually it went into a river with a long name and we had to ford that as well. This was the deepest and swiftest ford to date. The water was half way up my thighs. Luckily it didn't go any higher and my pack stayed dry. Fun ford.The trail continued to follow the river for a while. A nice stroll. It went through gorges in several places, and it was always moving good.Got to another branch of that river and forded it. Not as deep but the rocks were slippery.Took lunch at a shelter and decided to get into town slightly quicker by taking a blue blaze. We hit that a few miles after the river and walked into Monson. Our last trail stop and town.Headed to the Lakeshore House and got a good deal on rooms for the three of us. The place also had a Laundromat and pub/restaurant downstairs. A real winner. Its motto was "Washer in front, liquor in the rear, sleep on top".Monson is a real small town, but very hiker friendly. The general store is a bit pricey, but the owner tries real hard and had everything we needed.The pub had AYCE fried fish for dinner. I don't like fish that much, but it still sounded like a winner. We all had it. We reordered six times. It was awesome. Great staff.Went back to the general store and there was a bunch of people just sitting there playing songs. This town is pretty neat. Picked up a half gallon of ice cream since this is really the last time I can pig out and headed back to the hostel to enjoy it. Almost finished but saved the last bit for breakfast. Watched some TV and coordinated finishing up the trail and hit the sack. Great day.
Date: 2008-07-12
From: monson, me

To: long pond stream lean-to
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Got up and showered. Slept alright. At the rest of my ice cream and some combos I found. Went through all my gear once again and decided to send a couple things home I could live without for the last few days. Under 20 pounds for my base weight woot woot. Only bringing four days of food through the hundred mile wilderness, so my pack isn't that heavy. Lightest of the bunch at the moment with food. TB went shopping hungry.Went back to the pub for breakfast. They had something called the Cholesterol Clogger. Sounded like a winner to all of us. Three pancakes, eggs, sausage, corned beef hash and homefries. Actually filled me up. Delicious.We settled up and got a ride back to the trail form the owner. The Lakeshore House is awesome, I would highly recommend it to anyone passing through Monson. Monson was great too. One of the best trail towns.Flatish hiking for most of the day. By this I mean the elevation profile approximated to a flat line but there were constant small ups and downs. No big deal though, a real nice day.After a few miles we crossed a highway and entered the famous hundred mile wilderness. This section of trail is supposedly a hundred miles without a resupply or place to stop. There was a sign with dire warnings about the harshness of the terrain, and it said to bring a minimum of ten days of food to cross it. We have four, and we could do it in three if we wanted too.Onward into the wilderness. Crossed a surprising number of logging roads and ATV trails. Oh well.The trail wrapped around some lakes and went over a bunch of rocky outcrops. Also passed a few really nice waterfalls.Probably the highlight of the day came up on a sunny ridge. I saw some red climbing up and found my first almost ripe raspberry of the trip. Ripe enough to eat. A little tart yet, but good.When I said I found it, TB announced he saw ripe blueberries in a blueberry patch. Even better. A fair number of them were ripe. This stopped us for a while. Couldn't pass it up. Very good.We had three big fords today, and I managed all of them without getting my shoes wet.The first one we all did differently. TB stormed right across it, Stovie rock hopped over some big gaps with his long legs, and I kept looking at this tree that was perfectly spanning the gorge. Finally decided I would give that a go. A fairly large tree, and I probably could have walked right across it, but it would have been very bad if I fell. I ended up basically sitting down and scooting across it. It worked. Stovie got it on video in case I fell.Next ford I did in my crocs. Stovie thought it would be a good idea to go barefoot. He regretted that one.Final one was a rock hop.After the last ford, the trail went along the river for a bit as it went through a gorge. Really nice. The shelter is just above that gorge. Tons of bugs, so we started a fire, and there are still tons of bugs. Oh well, only a few more days.99.4 to go.
Date: 2008-07-13
From: long pond stream lean-to

To: carl newhall lean-to
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: broken clouds

We didn't feel like getting up today, but even though we did a half hour late, we managed to get out at the same time somehow.First thing we climbed up to Barren Mountain. Steep at times but no problem. Ascended into the clouds, so no view from the very rickety looking firetower at the top.Across a ridge for a while, and then we hopped onto a roller coaster. Had a few ups and downs in rapid succession. The first one was Fourth Mountain. The next one was Third Mountain. You get the picture. A few were steep and rocky.Met a SOBO and he tried to give us some trail advice. Said one descent was really tough, and was completely wrong. We flew down it. Even some nice rock stairs.Got down to a wide river and had to ford it. Did it in my crocs since my shoes were still dry. There was a ridgerunner on the other side we talked to for a bit. This is a high use area because of a side trail.The last few miles to the shelter was a long steady pull up a thousand feet or so. Really easy grade. Flew up that too.From the moment I woke up this morning, even before I was coherent I knew it was going to rain. Could sense it. We were sort of trying to push it towards the end of the day because we knew it was getting closer and we wanted to get to the shelter before it hit us.Started sprinkling a little bit on the climb up. We were doing good and knew approximately what time we would get to the shelter. About twenty minutes shy, the sky opened up and dashed all hopes of us getting to the shelter dry. Oh well, we almost had it.First people to the shelter at least. Guaranteed spots. Got water, and intend to stay in the shelter the entire night out of the cold and rain.78.6 to go
Date: 2008-07-14
From: carl newhall lean-to

To: cooper brook fall lean-to
Miles today: 18.9

It rained last night, all night long. Soothing on the tin roof though. Slept long and well. We woke up at the normal time independently and all decided to go back to sleep since it was still pouring. We did this a few times. Finally hit the trail at 7:40 in some lingering drizzle.Also last night, a mouse bit Stovie's thumb for some reason. Weird.First thing we had a climb up to four peaks. The climb went quick and wasn't too hard despite SOBO warnings.First three summits were treed in, and no views. Still drizzling. Got to White Cap which was above the treeline, but it was still foggy and we could see about a hundred feet. Oh well, down we go.Stovie had a hilarious wipeout on top, but it requires some explanation first. There are some things we learn on the trail such as don't step on the slanted, wet, mossy rocks, and roots, but we still do it all the time anyways, and we fall sometimes. I heard Stovie say "no" and I looked back in time to see him fall into the woods. Apparently he said no because he was telling himself to not step on a root, and his body did anyways and he ate it. Pretty funny.We bumped into a trail crew on the way down putting in some awesome stone steps. In the rain and everything. Pretty hardcore. Thanks guys. After we passed then the trail was spectacular. A quick down to the first shelter and our first stop of the day.Quick stop, the promise of lunch drove us onward. Another easy four miles to the next shelter and lunch. Lots of people here and even scored some hummus and crackers from some girls.We are now in the flats of Maine. Besides a couple very small climbs, the trail is pretty much dead flat for miles. Some easy and very buggy going. The mosquitoes are starting to drive us mad.Passed a couple lakes and I had a spectacular fall off a puncheon. First time I've fallen off one, have gone skating many times on the m though. Luckily it was only a little muddy underneath.Got to the shelter and it looks pretty sweet. Right on a nice size brook with a swimming hole under a waterfall. Not many bugs either. We got in really early, but the way the days work out we don't need to go further. There was a SOBO here, but he set up his tent.Had dinner and as we were eating, the girls who gave us the hummus rolled up and immediately announced we were having a feast tonight because they needed to lighten their foodbags. Score.We got some black bean soup, tortillas, hot chocolate, and veggie chips. Very good and awesome.Its getting down to it. Two more full days of hiking and summit day left. 59.7 to go.
Date: 2008-07-15
From: cooper brook fall lean-to

To: rainbow stream lean-to
Miles today: 29.6
Weather: broken clouds

Slept well last night. Up and out as usual. The first few miles were really buggy. Not just mosquitoes, also lots of horse flies. The combination is just about enough to take out a hiker. This was with DEET on. Eventually took a break and put on some hundred percent DEET and it did better.The first bit of trail was a flat walk along a stream. Not much to say, flat fast and easy.We came to a campsite with a privy the SOBOs have been raving about. It was called Fort Relief, but there was nothing special about it. Stovie visited it.Walked around a couple lakes. For most of the day today the trail followed streams and lakes. A pace different from the usual up and over every bump in sight.We came to a lake and there was a sign for a view of Katahdin. We went out, and there it was. The huge mound in the middle of nowhere. Even looks like there is some snow still on it in places. Saw it a couple more times growing closer. The end is in sight.I guess there's not really much more to say about today. Some pleasant trail. Easy hiking for the most part. 30 miles in under twelve hours including all out breaks.We have one more full day of hiking, then summit day. Katahdin is looming.30.1 to go
Date: 2008-07-16
From: rainbow stream lean-to

To: katahdin stream campground
Miles today: 24.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up fifteen minutes late today, but still hit the trail almost on time. Stovie jetted off ahead of us because he was out of food and he likes to snack. We were all totally out of food, but it was only fifteen miles to a store.TB and I left ten minutes or so after Stovie. The trail was really easy. Pretty much dead flat with a couple roots the only thing to slow us down, and they didn't do that much. We were actually pulling more than a 3 for the whole time we were hiking today.Went up a stream until we got to the lake that fed it. We walked along that lake for six miles until we came to the end. Heard a loon for the first and probably last time of the trip. At least I heard it.After the lake there was a minor climb up to some rocky ledges. We got to a nice open flat spot with a view, so we decided to take a break. Before we even sat down, I noticed that the blueberry bushes up here had some huge blueberries, and about a third of them were ripe. Major score. Instead of taking our break, we ate blueberries by the handful for about fifteen minutes. Very good. Could have stayed there all day, but we had to press on.A few more miles to our last shelter. Met the hundred acre woods gang there. Saw them before their flip flop down by the James River. That was a little while ago. They were trying out new gaiters, and we pretty much convinced them they do more harm than good most of the time.Three more easy miles to the Abol Bridge over a large river, and more importantly a camp store. Ate two sandwiches and an oatmeal cream pie. Hit the spot. Got some more food for the next day or so. Hung out there for an hour and a half. Met a hiker we had seen previously working up to his thru-hike, Hillwalker.Tenish more miles to the campsite. Walked along the river for a while, took a right turn and went up a stream with lots of waterfalls. Another right turn took us to Katahdin Stream Campsite at the foot of Katahdin. It is a massive beast looming over us. Going to be fun to climb. Straight up four thousand feet.Currently squatting at a campsite my mom reserved. She should be rolling up here shortly, hopefully with food. We underestimated what we needed at the store and are still hungry.Tomorrow is summit day. The end of the trail. Don't know what to think. Most of me is happy to be finished with it, and I'm sure I will be for a while, but I've been out here living this lifestyle for five months now. Will be different going home and getting a job.Oh well, there's time to think about that later. Not done with the trail yet. 5.2 to go.
Date: 2008-10-12
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

That hits the major topics. If anyone has any questions on anything I said or didn't say, hit up my guestbook and leave your email and I will get back to you.Hike your own hike, make it your own. Don't read books, get out there, test your gear and come up with your own system.A lot of people gave up early. Do a break in hike to make sure your gear is up to par and make sure it is something you want to do.
Date: 2009-07-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Exactly a year after I finished the trail, I was once again at Baxter State Park, this time with Bad Hummus, Liquid, Slickwood, and Sharptooth. I had planned on meeting up with Hummus on his summit day, and I was surprised to meet Liquid, who I had been chasing last year until he broke his leg and had to get off. He got back on this year like Hummus to finish up the trail.Had a great time telling stories and talking trail, and enjoying some beers.The next morning, we got up early and headed for the summit from Katahdin Stream Campground. I led the group up the mountain. It was sprinkling when we started, and we ascended into the clouds and wind. It was about 50 degrees and the rain picked up. By the time we reached the treeline, the wind and rain had picked up to 40-60mph. There was no cover of course and we were on a ridge, so it was quite brutal at times. The rain was horizontal, and the wind blew us all over the trail. However, it did not slow our progress, and we marched steadily on. During one quick stop, I was standing on a flat rock, and a gust of wind came and slid me over on the rock. The weather was intense.We stumbled through the mist until the legendary sign appeared. I caught a few pictures as the others reached it for the first time, and we celebrated with libations. After a half hour of pictures and shivering, we decided to head back down. The weather became more brutal, and the wind strengthened until we reached the treeline again.At the treeline, the weather started to improve, but it didn't matter at this point. We had conquored the mountain in horrible conditions that would make many turn back. The others thought it was only fitting to have bad weather to finish it up to go along with all the bad weather they had for the last month.More celebrations in Bangor that night, and we finally took care of a couple things TDM had been talking about for a long time. I was up early the next morning to hit the road back home after my brief foray back into the world of the AT thru-hiker.
Date: 2008-07-08
From: NC

To: Portland, ME
Miles today: 0.0

I have my bags packed and waiting by the door. I fly to Portland, ME tomorrow. Then spend the night in the airport to take the Greyhound bus the next day to Medway. I get to Medway about 10:00pm. I am not sure what to do then. I want to get to the trail as fast as possibleI was reading some other hikers' journals today. I have no idea of what to expect, but my mind is set. I am taking the next step. I told someone yesterday that this is the greatest challenge I have ever faced. I am sure this is true, but I have not grasped any of the idea.I have a bunch of nifty purist theories of how I want to hike the trail. I am not outdoors however and have a roof over my head. I will see how they pan out once I am hiking.My mind is clear.
Date: 2008-07-18
From: 100 mile wilderness, ME

To: 100 mile wilderness, ME
Miles today: 0.0

Yesterday was the first day I have hiked with my backpack over 10 "AT" miles. It felt so good that I got to the shelter in the rain and hiked another 7.4 miles to take trash back to the road since after cleaning the shelter there was no way of carrying that much trash plus my pack the rest of the way. Lots of bottles. I asked the people already at the shelter to watch my pack till I got back. They said yes of course, and a woman gave me a bar of Dark Chocolate! and her brother a yummy Granola Bar! When I got back, I was tired, and was dark. I was hungry but knew I would not want to cook dinner, but two nurses at the shelter had a dinner of Shepard's pie with grapes in it already cooked and waiting for me! I was so happy. I am glad that when I was all tucked away in my bivy for the night I remembered to get out and leave a thankyou note in their pot. However, a swarm of nosee-ems came in my bivy and had me writhing around all night. I hope I did not keep anyone else up.** Ok. Now I really know what trail magic is. I crossed a road 52 miles away from Monson, ME when I saw, in the middle of the trail, two drink cans, full and still ice cold. Well I had to pick them up, them being trash and all. So surprised and pleased. Thank you trail.