morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-06-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

There is a tremendous amount of preparation that must occur before beginning a journey such as this. My circumstances are most likely somewhat unique in that I needed to secure a day parking pass at Katahdin Stream Campground prior to heading to Maine for the start of my SoBo. Let me explain...I am very excited that my wife, daughter and sister will be joining me for the drive from our home to Millinocket, Maine. I have reservations for two nights at the AT Lodge there, arriving Sunday evening July 30th and checking out early Tuesday morning July 2nd. Providing all goes well the four of us plan to drive our POV (Privately Owned Vehicle) into Baxter and park at the Katahdin Stream parking area early in the morning of July 1st with the intention of climbing to the summit of Mt. Katahdin and touching the sign that signifies the northern terminus of the AT. My SoBo thru-hike will begin at that point! My wife and sister doubt that their hiking fitness levels will get them to the top so they plan to hike as far up the mountain as they comfortably can and then returning to the campground. My daughter on the other hand is a young 24 year old who has been preparing herself to join me to the top. What an awesome experience that will be! On the morning of July 2nd my family will head back home and I will get a shuttle ride from the AT Lodge into the park to resume my journey southbound on the AT from Katahdin Stream Campground.So, as you can see it was very critical for me to secure that parking pass because our plans were totally reliant on it. I had been really on edge about this for a couple of months because parking is very limited at the campground and as an out-of-state resident I could not attempt to secure a parking pass until within two weeks of my arrival date of July 1st, which was June 17th. In addition I was Informed by Baxter State Park personnel that July 1st is usually one of their busiest days because of that day being "Canadian Day". Undeterred I stayed up until after midnight when the date turned to the 17th to make sure that I had the best chance of getting that pass. I was successful and that was a big load off of my mind!T-minus 14 until summit
Date: 2019-06-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Like most folks on this planet I do not have a crystal ball with which to determine the future. Even if I did I seriously doubt that I would use it because after all, what fun is there in knowing the outcome of events before they occur. Isn¢t that mystery or uncertainty of what is going to happen in the future what makes our lives so interesting and really compels us to chase our curiosities?What the heck is he talking about you might ask! Well, I am still trying to justify packing up my stuff and leaving my loved ones for a four+ month walk in the woods just to satisfy one of those curiosities. I suppose as the big day closes in I am feeling an increasingly strong sense of guilt and selfishness. I can only hope that most folks do not feel that way about me. Still, the show must go on!I have received tons of positive encouragement, offers of support and well wishes and would like to thank everyone so much, especially my wife who is obviously the most impacted by my absence. She is my rock and has always supported me 100% even though I know that she must have conflicting feelings about all of this. T-minus 7 until summit
Date: 2019-06-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

My wife, daughter, sister and I covered the first 450 miles of the trip to Millinocket today. Stopped by Bennington, Vermont to see where the AT crosses highway 9 as a dry run in case my wife can meet up with me at approximately the 1/4 way point of the AT a few weeks into my journey. Had a wonderful travel day and shacked up at the Hampton Inn in Concord, NH for the night. But not before eating a great meal at Beefside Restaurant in Concord. Planning to finish the remaining 300 mile drive to Millinocket tomorrow. T-minus 2 until summit
Date: 2019-06-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

My wife, daughter, sister and I covered the remaining 300 miles of the trip to Millinocket today. We arrived at the AT Lodge and checked in with the owner (Ole Man) at 12:30. I was excited that we had a lot of daylight left to explore the area.After eating a bite at the Appalachian Trail Cafe we did some snack shopping at the local grocery store. We figured that we might need a few calories to help us summit Mt. Katahdin tomorrow. With plenty of time still left in the day I suggested that we take a drive to get a preview view of Mt. Katahdin from the bridge that spans over the West Branch of the Penebscot River (Abol Bridge) at Abol Bridge Campground. Abol Bridge is approximately 15 trail miles from the summit of Mt. Katahdin. The AT actually crosses over this bridge. The summit of the mountain is obscured by clouds in the photo. This is the mountain that we plan to climb tomorrow and as we were staring at it we were all thinking the same thing, ¢We¢re going to climb that!¢. Of course we have to, or at least I do because the northern most point of the AT is at the top. That is where my SoBo (Southbound) thru-hike officially begins. After enjoying the great view of Mt. Katahdin and checking out the supplies and gear that are available inside the store at Abol Bridge Campground we headed back to the lodge to get rested up for the big day that is ahead of us tomorrow. I sure hope that we can muster up the energy to get to the top. T-minus 1 until summit
Date: 2019-07-01
From: Summit of Mt. Katahdin

To: Katahdin Stream Campground 
Miles today: 5.2

What a better way to start a 2,200 mile hike than with a 4,200 foot climb up a gnarly mountain. Actually it was one of my life¢s most very special moments since my wife, daughter and sister joined me. Oh my gosh am I going to miss them as they head back to PA tomorrow morning and I get shuttled back into Katahdin Stream Campground to continue my SoBo thru-hike from there. This is going to be harder than the summit!This has gotten real and to be quite honest it scares the s**t out of me. These first few days are going to be very difficult and I am going to miss my wife, family and friends dearly. Especially my wife! I love you!!Cell service in the 100 Mile Wilderness of Maine will be spotty at best so it is very possible that I may not be updating my journal very regularly.
Date: 2019-07-02
From: Katahdin Stream Campground 

To: Rainbow Spring Campsite
Miles today: 21.1

I had no cell service at my campsite Tuesday evening so that is why this was posted late. Said some real hard goodbyes to my wife, daughter and sister this morning just before climbing into Ole Man¢s van for the shuttle back to Katahdin Stream Campground in Baxter State Park. We hit the road at 6:30 AM sharp and my pack and I were headed south from the campground by 7:30.The day went fairly smoothly. I covered the 10 miles to Abol Bridge by 11:30. This is where SoBo¢s (Southbound Hikers) enter the infamous ¢100 Mile Wilderness¢ which is a remote stretch of the trail that offers no opportunities for resupply. As luck would have it the ¢Wilderness¢ decided to quickly initiate me with my first weather event of the journey. It was fairly short lived but I got pounded on with heavy rain and hail. Well, at least that is out of the way :-)Also oddly came across a backpack and some other assorted hiking items laying right along the trail in the middle of nowhere with no owner in sight. I, and a couple of other SoBo¢s that had caught up to me as I stood there pondering what to do, scanned the area and shouted out many times but got no response. A couple of NoBo¢s eventually happened to pass by and they agreed to advise the folks at Abol Bridge, which was just a couple of miles north of where we were, of the situation. I certainly hope whoever¢s gear it was is OK. Decided to call it a day at 4:30. I took a very refreshing bird bath on the shore of a beautiful pond, as Maine calls them, to get some of the crud and Deet off of my skin. Couldn¢t wait to get my hammock hung and supper in my belly in order to crawl into my shelter to escape these relentless Maine mosquitoes. There are millions, no, billions of them :-)I really miss my family, bad, and am not certain how I am going to manage that. Lord give me strength!
Date: 2019-07-03
From: Rainbow Spring Campsite

To: Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I had no cell service at my campsite again Wednesday evening so that is why this was posted late. This may turn out to be a common occurrence up here. Today went reasonably well although I was pretty spent by the time I arrived at the lean-to. I am definitely going to have to cut back on the miles for a while until I establish some stronger trail legs. The harder hiking is yet to come. It certainly helps that I have been seeing some of the most beautiful scenery that I have ever seen. I did not see nearly as many other hikers today as I did yesterday. I¢ve been told that the NoBo bubble is still a few weeks south of where I am so I suppose it will eventually pick up for a while. I have found that it is really good to see another human being once in a while. I had hiked about 4 hours this morning without seeing a sole and it makes me feel as if I had veered off course or something. Of course the white blazes don¢t lie, although at times they are hard to see/find. I was unable to talk with my wife today. Love and miss you babe!
Date: 2019-07-04
From: Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to

To: East Branch Lean-to
Miles today: 19.6

I am typically the first hiker to leave the campsite each morning and one reason for that is that I¢m hoping to catch a glimpse of a moose. Unfortunately that has not yet happened but I know that they are around because I have been seeing their droppings quite often right on the trail.I had the pleasure of swimming/bathing for the 1st time since Sunday. The water temperature in Crawford Pond was cool and just what I needed to rejuvenate me. I met several hikers today but the one that stands out is a 68 year old with the trail name Pilgrim. He hails from Lebanon, PA. Heck of a nice guy and very informative. He is doing a flip-flop hike. He started northbound from Harper¢s Ferry and will be hiking to Mt. Katahdin, then travel to Springer Mountain and hike northbound to Harper¢s Ferry. And for the best part - I was able to talk with my wife today from atop Little Boardman Mountain. Boy did I need that!
Date: 2019-07-05
From: East Branch Lean-to

To: Carl A. Newhall Lean-to
Miles today: 10.8

I was able to talk with my wife again today from atop White Cap Mountain. I mention this simply because hearing her voice helps me make it through the tough days. That will most likely be the last communication I will be able to have with her until I get to the Maine town of Monson which is 36 trail miles south of me and is also the end of the 100 Mile Wilderness. Today was by far the toughest day I have had so far. You may have guessed that based on today¢s mileage. The relatively flat miles that I hiked the first few days have now been replaced by lots of climbing and descending. White Cap Mountain and the three shorter but still significant climbs after that pretty much wiped me out so I called it a day at 1:30 in the afternoon to give my old body a chance to recover. I didn¢t help that it neared 90 degrees today either. I doubt that I will be seeing any more 20+ mile days for quite a while. I would like to thank everyone who is taking the time to read my journal.
Date: 2019-07-06
From: Carl A. Newhall Lean-to

To: West Chairback Pond
Miles today: 11.6

Today was another tough day with several significant climbs and descents. If you are familiar with the elevation profile of the AT up here you know what I mean. And in Maine they don¢t seem to believe in switchbacks. Most climbs and descents are pretty much straight up and straight down with lots of rocks and roots to add to the pleasure. I am totally surprised that my quadriceps haven¢t started screaming at me yet. The weather has been unusually warm and that magnifies the challenge, at least for me because I have never performed well in the heat. Based on the forecast I suppose I better get used to it. I have also been having a tough time consuming enough calories. The combination of heat and exertion cause food to loose it¢s appeal, although I try to force myself to eat as much as possible. I know that I am still left with a significant calorie deficiency every day. Enough of the negative stuff! All-in-all I am still enjoying the experience. If it were easy everyone would do it. I met a really nice guy who¢s trail name is ¢Big Peach¢, he¢s from Georgia, today. He is also a SoBo and it turns out that we actually summited Mt. Katahdin on the same day. I was ahead of him for the first four days when the terrain was more manageable and he passed me today. Could have something to do with him being half my age and twice as tall. Unfortunately I doubt that I will see him again. I set up camp early again today with lots of daylight left in which I could have covered more miles. My wise wife insisted that I refrain from pushing myself too hard for the first week or so. I really don¢t think I had enough left in the tank to summit another mountain anyway. Today I elected to take a .2 mile blue blaze side trail over to West Chairback Pond to spend the night. It appears that I may have the place to myself. Just as well because I am feeling pretty content lying here in my hammock and typing up this journal entry with a gorgeous view of this remote pond.
Date: 2019-07-07
From: West Chairback Pond

To: Wilson Valley Lean-to
Miles today: 13.9

A low pressure front with quite a bit of rain passed through yesterday afternoon/evening but was followed by clearing and much cooler weather. I was actually snuggled in my sleeping bag this morning rather than laying on top of it. It still got pretty warm as the day progressed but not as bad as previous days. Experienced tons more beautiful remote scenery today including waterfalls, beaver dams and several breathtaking vistas overlooking the Maine landscape. Maine certainly is a beautiful state. Only 10.4 miles left to get to Monson. I cannot even express how much I am looking forward to stuffing my face with lots of hot and probably greasy food. I am still running a significant calorie deficiency on the trail. None of the sweet, high calorie items that I have in my food bag appeal to me in the slightest. This strain on my body has definitely impacted my view of certain foods. I need to come up with a solution! I¢m looking forward to a ¢Zero Day¢ or two in Monson on Tuesday and possibly Wednesday to give my old aching body a chance to rest up.
Date: 2019-07-08
From: Wilson Valley Lean-to

To: ME 15, Monson, Maine
Miles today: 10.4

Today was a particularly nice day for multiple reasons. One - The high temperature was forecast to be more tolerable, Two - The climbs/descents were not quite as big and Three - We knew we only had 10.4 miles to a break at Shaw¢s Hiker Hostel in Monson. We broke camp at Wilson Valley Lean-to and headed south around 0700, which is quite late for me but I decided to hang with some other folks who prefer not to get up so early, and covered the first 7.4 miles by noon. Spirits were quite high at Leeman Brook Lean-to where we stopped for lunch as everyone was excited that we only had 3 miles left to the intersection of ME 15. From there it was just a quick 3 mile shuttle ride to the hostel. AJ, a cool dreadlocked hair dude from Shaw¢s, picked us up at the intersection of ME 15 and the AT promptly after our call. I can¢t say enough about how accommodating Poet and his wife Hippie Chick, owners of Shaw¢s, are. I had contacted them in advance from atop a mountain the previous day and left a voicemail requesting a room, not totally certain that they would receive my request. In addition I had heard the vacancies there were very limited. Fortunately when I got there I had a nice private room waiting for me. We had an amazing dinner that evening. Wow, what can I say, after a week in the woods a hot meal of lasagne and garlic bread never tasted so good. Along with a good cold Pepsi, heavenly. Word has it that they provide an awesome breakfast too so I¢m looking forward to that tomorrow morning.
Date: 2019-07-09
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

This unfortunately will be my final journal entry and a very tough one for me. I¢m so sorry to tell all of my family, friends and everyone else that have given me so much love, support and encouragement that I have made a decision to discontinue my trek southward on the AT. I made this decision not so much as a result of it being incredibly challenging, both physically and mentally, but more as a result of how detached I felt from those that I love and cherish at home.The eight days that I spent on the trail were an incredible experience unlike any other outdoor adventure that I¢ve had the opportunity to pursue and I do not regret one second of it. Well, maybe the one time I fell on my a**. My most cherished day on the trail by far was undoubtedly day one when my wife, daughter and sister joined me in summiting Mt. Katahdin via the Hunt Trail. Not an easy task. I am so grateful and proud of them. The remaining seven days went by very quickly but I simply felt that I had been away from home long enough.I had the opportunity to meet many other hikers during my relatively short journey and I must say that I am fascinated at how friendly and supportive they all are of each other. Heck, I even gave my contact information to several of the folks that I got to know the best and insisted that they give me a yell when they get in my wife and I¢s area a couple of months from now. I insisted that I could shuttle them to resupply or even provide them with a shower and place to sleep. I know from experience how valuable support like that can be during such a journey.My hiking days are far from over but it is very unlikely that I will ever attempt a full thru-hike, especially of this magnitude, again. There will definitely be plenty of day hikes and possibly a multi-day section hike thrown in here and there.Thank you all again for your love and support whether through face to face, phone call, text or journal signature. I can only hope that I have not let you down.I love and appreciate you all!Happy Trails!
Date: 2019-08-25
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

(0.0 total miles for this section hike, 114.5 grand total AT miles)It had become quickly obvious to me on my attempt to do a full thru-hike that I was just not wired to be able to spend so much time away from home.  In the weeks that have passed since my departure from the trail I have found myself frequently thinking about my time spent there and how much I enjoyed the experience. I would sometimes even awaken at night thinking of the trail and have a difficult time going back to sleep because my mind would be racing, thinking about my earlier experience and also the prospects of getting back out there again. Then an opportunity arose!A few weeks ago my wife, daughter, son-in-law and I were invited by my sister-in-law to join them on a family weekend trip to New York City. Having not been to NYC in quite some time my first thought was ¢heck yes¢, and my second thought was ¢that¢s almost halfway to Monson, Maine¢. So after getting a green light from my awesome wife I decided to take advantage of the head start in getting to Monson and charged ahead in preparing myself and my gear for another little adventure in the woods beginning where I left off and continuing southbound. So I am writing this journal entry from our private room at Shaw¢s Hiker Hostel in Monson, Maine with my wife lying by my side. Tomorrow morning my wife will be driving me about 4 miles west of Monson to where the AT crosses ME 15. We will part ways there, me headed south on the AT with my primary goal of hiking approximately 180 miles to Gorham, New Hampshire (completing the state of Maine) and my wife turning around and heading back home, about 10 hours away. If that isn¢t love I don¢t know what is!Thank you so much for reading. As always I have no idea what the cell service will be like as I trek southward so I may not be able to update my journal every day.
Date: 2019-08-26
From: ME 15, Monson, Maine

To: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 22.0

Section hike 2, day 1 - 08/26/19 - 22.0 (22.0 total miles for this section hike, 136.5 grand total AT miles)6:00 AM to 7:00 PMMy first day back on the trail turned out to be a few miles longer than I had planned because I was determined to get to a point where I could contact my wife. After dropping me off just west of Monson where the AT crosses ME15 this morning she reversed direction and started the long drive back to PA. I worried about her all day and wanted to know that she made it home OK. The extra miles paid off because I was able to talk to her from the summit of Moxie Bald Mountain. The extra miles made for some pretty tired legs so hopefully my legs will be ready to go in the morning.About midway through the day¢s hike I caught up with a couple with trail names Babbles and Banjo. It quickly became evident as to how Babbles got her name. She directs so much of her energy to her vocal chords that I¢m surprised she has enough left to power her legs. That wasn¢t nice, forget  that I said that. Of course Banjo was just the opposite. He rarely spoke a word and when he did it was very difficult to hear him. I hiked with them for a couple of hours but most likely will not see them again as they continued on a tenth of a mile or two past the shelter I stopped at because there was no tent areas available at the shelter. They confessed that they like to sleep in in the mornings and and as everyone who knows me will agree, I like to get up and out early. With the extra miles I put in today I¢m hopeful that I can get to the town of Caratunk tomorrow rather than my planned day of Wednesday. Maybe even get a good shower and a hot meal or two. Good night!
Date: 2019-08-27
From: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to

To: Caratunk, ME
Miles today: 14.8

Section hike 2, day 2 - 08/27/19 - 14.7 (36.7 total miles for this section hike, 151.2 grand total AT miles)6:00 AM to 1:00 PMRelatively light miles today and only one significant mountain (Pleasant Pond Mountain) to climb so I made it to Caratunk early in the afternoon. This town I so small that I¢m surprised that it qualifies to be on the map. I had zero cell service so I walked a few hundred yards up the road to a place called ¢The Caratunk House¢. They had 1 room available but it had two single beds and one of them was already occupied by a female. I used their land phone to call a place quite a ways up the road called ¢The Sterling Inn¢. It was a much larger establishment and they had a private room available. A few minutes later I was picked up and shuttled to The Sterling Inn. This place is really nice. I got a bite to eat, washed my clothes and socialized a bit. Around 5:00 a few of us got a shuttle and went to a place called ¢Three Rivers¢. We were told that they had a really nice all-you-can-eat taco bar on Tuesday nights. It was worth the trip. Tomorrow I plan to continue my trek southbound but it will be a late start. Just a couple of hundred yards south of where I got off of the trail this morning is a river called ¢Kennebeck¢. The only way to get to the other side is via a ferry service. The ferry is basically just a canoe. The service is not available until 9:00 AM. I have been told that cell service gets even worse as you go south so I may not be able to update my journal until I get to Stratton which will be several days from now. Good night!