morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-07-07
From: Piazza Lean to

To: Spaulding Mtn lean to
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: broken clouds

Woke up at 5am, ate breakfast and hit the trail by 620am. As we passed Eddy pond we heard some moose in the water. When we went to look we realized it a mom and baby. We decided not to stick around to see what happens. As we were leaving I looked back and notice they were swimming back the other way so I took some pictures. We climb up Saddleback and a lot of people hyped it up to be harder than it was. It was definitely windy up there. I took shelter behind a rock wall while I had a snack break. We had two more big climbs before lunch, The Horn and Saddleback junior. Both not that tough. Because we had just taken a break a hour ago we just passed by the next shelter. A lady there said we just missed her taking a bath. I thought good because I would hate to throw up the food I just ate. We just kept hiking. She was a little odd. We got to Orbaton stream and luckily we didn't have to forge this one. It had some rocks spaced out so we could rock hop. Yeti slipped and got a shoe full of water. We ate lunch there so he was able to let his shoe dry in the sun. For lunch I has two snickers with a spoon full of peanutbutter on every bit and finished off one of my bags of beef jerky. After lunch we had a 1600 foot climb up to Lone Mtn. I don't know if it was the lunch or the heat but that climb kicked my butt. It wasn't a hard climb I just couldn't stop sweating. When we made it to the top I felt much better. I could tell i was getting dehydrated so I started drink more water. We stopped at Spaulding Mtn lean to for water and head out. While we were sitting there resting we read a sign saying the Sugarloaf summit building was closed because of sanitation reasons. Our plan was to go there but know thats out of the question. So here it is 3pm and were stuck at the shelter with nothing to do. What do we do? Make a fire that always burns up some time. A half an hour later I'm cooking a pre-dinner, then I cooked real dinner. I washed up and put on my long johns because the bugs were getting bad. Eventually I had to break down and put on some DEET. That seemed to work. Two SOBO's came in about 6pm and planned to stay. We had more than enough room. Its still early for bed but I think I'll go lay down and hide from the bugs. The ankle is getting better. I was able to keep up with the guys on the up hills but on the downs I am still having trouble. Its still a little sore and I hope by tonight the swelling will be down.
Date: 2008-07-08
From: Spaulding Mtn lean to

To: Horns pond lean to
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Temp: hot and humidWoke up this morning and cooked breakfast. Cream of wheat, yum. One of the SOBOs put there tobacco products in Yeti's pack. We don't know why and we did ask but we think he was high. Its hard to tell if a hikers is high, they aways have the munchies. We took off at 6am before the SOBOs woke up. The climb up to Spaulding Mtn was enough to get your blood pumping. We climbed down to a stream we were suppose to forge but luckily it hasnt rained in awhile so the water level was down and we just rock hopped. We had a break there then headed up the Crooker mtns. That was a nice long climb and when we were done I was glad it was over. We ate an early lunch at the top then hiked down 5 miles to the road. We hitched into Stratton to resupply and eat a lunch/dinner. I had a 10" roast beef sub then we went over to the diner and I steak and cheese bomb with potatoe skins. Before we hitch back to the trail Yeti and I got a 1 pound strawberry cheese cake from the grocery store. We pack it up and planned to eat it when we got to the shelter. We got a hitch fairly easy. A man in a pickup drove us back to the trail. The last 5 miles to the shelter had it's moments. The first 2 were quite easy except it was hot and muggy. We knew once we started climb it was going to be bad. The last 3 mile had me wishing I didn't have sweat gland. I dripped sweat the whole time and prayed for a breeze. Once we got the to shelter we notice there was a black fly problem. After getting water and washing up I put some DEET on to get some relief. Then I brought out the cheese cake and ate it all. Eating all that cheese cake made me sleepy so I set up my bed and layed down. If I can keep the bugs off me tonight I should sleep pretty good. This is to Roundhorse about the guestbook entry. Hope you are doing well in Rehab. I'm afraid your stealthnology won't work because your missing one key ingredient, a glow stick. Without it, stealthing is impossible. Maybe now you can stealth your way out of Rehab and finish the trail.
Date: 2008-07-10
From: Pierce Pond Lean to

To: Bald Mtn Brook Lean to
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: clear sky

Bugs woke me up this morning. We didn't have to get up early but we did out of habit. We only had to walk a few tenth to the camp for breakfast. We tried to follow the trail to the camp but the water crossing was flooded over and dangerous to pass so we took the blue blaze around. We got to Pierce Pond Camp early so we sat and watched the hummingbird drink from the feeder. As I sat there watching I thought about my cell phone and I realized that it just an object and to get upset about it is just silly. I have insurance and I'll just get a new one. And the hardships of yesterday are just part of the trip. I have to get through the bad to get to the good. At this moment I was happy I didn't quit yesterday.730am, Breakfast is ready. All the SoBos at the shelter last night are here for breakfast. We had 12 Pancake with different kinds of fruit in them and some sausage and eggs. It was very good and I could have eaten another plate but I wouldn't be hiking very fast after that. I got my coffee fix so I was ready to go. We got a late start out of Pierce Pond so we had to hurry to the Kennebec River before the shuttle stops. We made it there just in time and got the last shuttle across. Toddy Bear and Yeti got the first canoe ride over and I waited for the shuttler to come back for me. I noticed on the way over that the river is pretty deep and it would be difficult for anyone to ford without the shuttle. The Kennebec is the only river that has the official shuttle across it.1100am and we're on the other side of the Kennebec River. We stopped at Pleasant Pond Lean to for lunch. It was a long drawn out steep climb to Pleasant Pond Mtn. It slowed us down and Moxie shelter is looking less likely at this point. We had lunch at the shelter then pushed on to Bald Mtn.When we got to Moxie Pond we realized that this would be our first real ford. There was no way to get around it, we were walking through the water. We decided   to leave on our shoes and just take it like a man. After that, since our shoes were wet, we didn't care about dodging the water on the trail.Not a bad hike to the next shelter. We got there at 600pm and the shelter was empty. We made a group decision to stay here for the night. That puts us 4 mile behind but the shelters empty and the next one might be full. We'll just make it up tomorrow.Dinner was good tonight. I have a set dinner menu. Mash Potatoes for a pre-game and a flavored rice with chicken in a pouch. Then I put sharp cheddar cheese in the rice. Man it tastes so good. And for dessert I eat a Kit Kat. I hope I don't get sick of it. Both Yeti and T-Bear's camera are on the fritz. T-Bears camera is dead and Yeti's screen isn't working and he is unsure if the cameras taking pictures or not. So it looks like I'm the only one with a working camera. Monson tomorrow. Can't wait to get a shower
Date: 2008-07-11
From: Bald Mtn Brook Lean to

To: Monson, ME
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: clear sky

Up at 5am. The bugs are annoying and they seem to come around at first light. We were reading the shelter registry and we're noticing how fresh the SoBo's are. They have been writing about how tough the climbs are and a water source near the top of Moxie Bald is dry and they had to walk two more mile to the next water source. I don't remember being such a winer when I started but maybe I was.We started off our day with 1 liter of water and a climb up Moxie Bald. We're not worried about the spring being dry at the top. There was some cool rock formations on the way up. At the top a lot of the tree were dead. It reminded me of how it looks after a tornado. Back down the mountain. It looks like the next two days will be easy on the climbs.The first ford of the day Toddy Bear fell in. He took one step on a slick rock and he went down in the water. He was O.K. I think it was the funniest fall he has had yet. Both Yeti and T-Bear just walked through with there shoes on. I change into my crocs forded the river and changed back into my shoes. It took an extra 5 mins. but it was worth it. By doing this and dodging puddles I managed to keep my shoes dry all day. Piscataquis River, we ford this one at two points on the trail. The first time it was moving faster and it was nearly crotch deep. We all made it through without falling in. The second time we forded the river wasn't as bad.We made it to Horseshoe Canyon Lean to and had lunch there. Peanut butter and snickers. Yummy. The talked it over and decided to take a blue blaze trail to Monson so we could get there an hour earlier. This way we could use the extra time in town. We made it to the blue blaze at 3 mph pace and headed into town. We tried hitching in but no one wanted to pick up 10 day old smelly hikers.Once we got to Monson our first stop was the General Store to see what kind of resupply they had. We were surprised at how good it was. Then we walked down to the Lakeshore House. Its a Bar/Restaurant/Hostel/Laundry/Marina all in one. The only thing better would be a Laundry Mat Brothel invented by Gary Fester Clitter. Lucky for us we got the last 3 beds there. We did laundry first then resupplied. The general store was great it was an easy resupply. Back at Lakeshore we had all you can eat fish fry. It was really good and ended up taking down six plates. We went back to the general store to get ice cream and they having a jam session at the store. I think every week they have bands come in and play music inside the store. It was really crowded. I think everyone in town was there.I used Toddy Bear's phone to call The Doctor and tell her I look my phone. She thought I was kidding. I set the summit date for July 17 so she can make plans to come and pick me up.Monson is a great trail town. Everyone was extremely nice to us and they tried real hard to accommodate hikers. From having a good selection of hiker food to having shuttles to the closest outfitter. I give Monson 5 stars.
Date: 2008-07-12
From: Monson, ME

To: Long Pond Stream Lean to
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: overcast clouds

My bed was nice and comfy and I slept well. I turned on the TV and watched Care Bears while I packed up my stuff. I went through my bag and got rid of all the things I could live without for the finally days of my journey. I ended up cutting 4 pounds off my pack weight. The other guys ended up doing the same as well.We had breakfast downstairs in the bar. On the menu they had at breakfast called the Cholesterol Clogger. Three pancakes, eggs, sausage, corned beef hash and homefries. That sounded right up our alley. I had a lot of coffee and the food was extra saltly but it filled us up and we were satisfied. We talk to some SoBo's while we ate. We gave them some info about the trail and words of encouragement. The owner, Double Zero, gave us a ride back to the trailhead. We took the blue blaze, we came in on, back to the AT. It was a nice 3 mile stroll to the beginning of the 100 mile wilderness. The entrance has a sign tell of dyer consequence if you don't have at least 10 days of food. We're going in with 4 days of food. We'll see if we can survive. Since there weren't any mountains for us to have lunch on so we just stopped on a hillside. I wasn't that hungry because I had such a big breakfast but I ate anyway. I drank the last of my water and we headed out. There were some nice waterfall views and we a few day hikers around. So much for wilderness. Three river fords today. First one I used my long legs to rock hop. Toddy Bear just walked through the water and Yeti climbed across a downed tree. The next one I went barefoot, big mistake. It hurt like hell. I won't be doing that again. The third was a rock hop. So no wet shoes today.On one of the hill tops we came across some nearly rip blueberries. You would have thought we hit the jackpot the way we were caring on about all these blueberries. We ate a bunch of them but we had to get going.After the blueberries I started feeling fatigue. Between the coffee, salty food and not getting enough water I think this is the start of dehydration. I progressively got worst as the day went on. I started taking breaks more frequently and drinking lots of water. Nearing the shelter I wasn't sure I was going to make it. When I got there I was happy to be done with this day.I ate dinner even though I wasn't hungry and drank a bunch of water. I hope tomorrow is better. Less than a 100 miles to go.
Date: 2008-07-13
From: Long Pond Stream Lean to

To: Carl Newhall Lean to
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: broken clouds

Slow start out of bed today. We were still able to leave at the usual time. I ate breakfast and made sure I got enough water. Feeling better today hope I stay that way. It looks like its going to rainStarted out the day with a steep climb up Barren Mtn. At the top it was foggy so no views. From there we walked the ridge climbing up and down three or four peaks. Along the a SoBo said it was going to be hard climbing down Chairback Mtn. It turn out to be quite easy.One river ford today. I just put on my crocs and quickly got to the other side. We met a ridge runner and talked with him for awhile. It looked like the rain was coming in so we pushed on in a quick pace. The trail was at a steady incline and was really easy to keep a good pace. About a half hour before we got to the shelter it started raining. It wasn't raining hard so we only got slightly wet. The Shelter was empty but not for long. A SoBo name Ace came in a few minutes after us. His trail etiquette is a little rough but he is still new. Ace's father, Cash, came in shortly after soaking wet. I feel bad for other hikers when there wet. I know how it feels and it sucks. We talked to Ace and Cash and realized they have a lot to learn. But they have 2000 miles to work out the kinks. Good dinner tonight. Same thing I had last night and the night before. I wore my damp shirt to bed so it will be dry for tomorrow.
Date: 2008-07-15
From: Cooper Brook Fall Lean to

To: Rainbow Stream Lean to
Miles today: 29.6
Weather: broken clouds

Had a good nights sleep. Out on the trail by 600am. This morning the trail was the least hilly I've seen in quite some time. And we were hiking faster than we have in a long time. Bugs were bad and DEET became my best friend. We came across a campsite with a privy called Fort Relief. I think those veggie chips last night went right through me because my stomach was doing back flips. So I found relief at Fort Relief.All morning the trail took us around all these different lakes. It was nice not having to do a 1000+ foot climb every other mile. We stopped at Nahmakanta Stream for a nice peaceful lunch. It was a beautiful day and the sound of the stream nearly put me to sleep. At Nahmakanta Lake we saw a sign that said View of Katahdin so we went over to investigate. I stepped out of the tree line on the lake my heart skipped a beat. It was this huge mountain in the middle of this flat terrain. At that moment I felt all that emotion of this trip building up inside of me. It took some effort to hold back my tears. I'm almost there, the end is in sight. Now I feel anxious to get there and conquer this giant and at the same time nervous I might fail. The rest of the day it was hard to shake the image and feeling of that moment.We stopped at Wadleigh Stream Lean to and took a quick break there. I didn't want to leave because the next 2 mile we had a 1000 foot climb up to Nesuntabunt Mtn. It not bad but I was getting use to the unhilly trail.At the top of Nesuntabunt we saw another sign saying View of Katahdin. I wanted to see it again so we followed the sign. The mountain was still amazing the second time I saw it. We set up camp at Rainbow Streams Lean to. There were a bunch of people there camping. I can't call them hikers because I haven't seen them hike. The Lean to have what they call baseball bat floor. It just a bunch of 1.5" diameter logs put together to make a floor. This makes it uncomfortable to sleep on. We stayed there with some SoBo sectioners. Really nice hikers.The water source was the big stream that all the campers were playing in. It sucked to get water from there but we didn't have a choice. It was the only water for miles. Tonight is the last dinner I'm carrying and tomorrow I will be completely out of food. I have to get to Abol Bridge, 15 mile away, to resupply. Failure is not a option.
Date: 2008-07-16
From: Rainbow Stream Lean to

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 24.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Got up this morning ready to go. I was packed and ready to hit the trail before anyone else. I could contain my excitement and my need for food so I start off up the trail ahead of Toddy Bear and Yeti. The trail was easy. I had no problem keeping a 3.5 mph pace. My pack was light and my body was felling good. It was really quiet out hear hiking by myself. I was kind of hoping to see on moose on my last day. No luck. There wasn't any hikers out this morning and I ate spider webs all morning. The last few mile I saw a hand few of SoBos.I made it to Abol Bridge at 10am. That 15 miles in 4 hours. There were some pre-made sandwiches at the Camp Store. I got a roast beef and provolone with a pepsi. I sat down and rested until T-Bear and Yeti got there. We hung out there for a few hours and resupplied before leaving. We saw a SoBo we had met training in the Whites two weeks before. We were surprise to see him and we sat and talked for awhile. After we wished him luck and headed for Katahdin Campground.It was a nice graded path all the way to the base of Katahdin. That 10 miles hike felt like the calm before the storm. We all know at the end of this trail we have a 4,100 foot climb over 5 miles of trail with the possiblity of any kind of weather.We get to Katahdin Streams Campground at 330pm. We check in with the ranger and my finishing number is 38. We also got the site number for Yeti's Mother's campsite. So we squatted there until she showed up. We didn't by enough food at the Camp Store so we were still hungry after dinner. What are you going to do? I guess we'll survive. We only have one day left.
Date: 2008-07-17
From: Katahdin Stream Campground

To: Katahdin Mtn (Baxter Peak)
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: few clouds

At 1130pm last night it started to thunder then it quickly turned to rain. Yeti and I were in our tents but Toddy Bear was cowboy camping on top of the picnic table. He does have a real tent. All he has is a tarp and a bivy. A few minute after the rain started a hear Toddy Bear whisper "Stovie, can I get in your tent?" Felling bad I said yes. He comes in near soaked. I was able to get back to sleep right away.4am came around real quick. Packing up for the last time I mentally prepared for the journey ahead. At 515am we signed the registry. We are first hiker this morning to go up. I set my timer to see how long it took to get to the top then we were on our way. The last 5 miles. The first mile was easy 20 minutes. We crossed Katahdin Stream and the water here is so crystal clear. The trail got gradually steeper from this point. About 3 mile into the climb it got much more difficult. We started using our hands more than are trekking pole so we ended up just putting them away. The climb was get technical and at times had to thing about how we were going to climb up over these rocks. Some times you felt like an acrobat. Whether it be balancing on the edge of a rock or jumping from boulder to boulder. This is by far the most challenging and fun part of the whole trail. It made me forget how tired and how long the trip has been. I was just there, in the moment, having fun. The gateway was just about tree line. This is were the wind picked up. I would say 30-40mph gust. Because of my big pack and light body weight the wind seemed to push me around. Since I didn't want to be blown off the mountain I heard on tight ever time the wind picked up. The first time I stopped to look back to see where I came from I was shocked at how high up we were. I was so focused on climbing I didn't stop to look around. Maine is such a beautiful state. The view is amazing and breath taking. I had to snap myself out of it so I could finish the climb. The thing about the gateway of the mountain is that when you looking at it from below it give a false summit. When we got to the top of the gateway we still had another mile to the summit. The last mile was exciting. I could see the Katahdin sign and up until this point I still had doubts that I would make it to the end. When we got to the summit I felt a great sense of accomplishment and sadness that this is the end.We took pictures and made phone calls. We enjoyed the view and thought about everything it took to get to this point.This is my journey
Date: 2008-06-01
From: Bearfence Mountain Hut

To: Rock Spring Hut
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 27First day of June! Woke up nice and early, but was hesitant to get up and going because Lady Cluck's tent was right next to mine and I didn't want to disturb her unnecessarily. Decided to look at my guidebooks for a while as that wouldn't be too noisy, and I needed to plan out my day anyway. Heard Lady stirring around 6:45, so I put my books away then and started packing up too.At breakfast I realized I didn't have any "cereal" left, just yogurt and some fruit. So I had that. I was on the the trail just after 8:00 am. Butters was first out, then me, followed closely by Lady. I think Sampson was still eating when we left. Lady quickly passed me and I was left to do the warm-up climb for the day on my own, as per usual. I had decided to take a blue blaze loop that was supposed to have great views and was only 150 ft longer than that section of the AT. Plus, it had a rock scramble and I have ALWAYS loved me a rock scramble.The first part of the blue blaze was nice enough, but once the rock scramble began I was seriously impressed. In the middle of it, at the highest point, I actually had a 360 degree view which was amazing and proved my decision to be a good one. Inspired, I let out the biggest holler I could, then I started making my way down. Shortly after I ran into another guy scrambling in the opposite direction, and we both startled the other pretty good. He had heard my yell though, and wanted to know what had happened. I guess my queen-of-the-mountain roar sounded like someone in distress to him. Embarrassing.After completing the scramble and reconneccting to the AT, I actually had to run back and retrieve my pack, as I didn't think I should wear it over the rock scramble (another good decision). Remembering how I'd left it in the middle of the path thinking I'd be the only one up there so early in the morning, I felt the need to beat the other rock scramble guy back and get my pack out of the way. So once on the AT I ran, which felt really odd. Then I stopped running and just walked fast 'cuz that felt a lot better. I passed Midnite, the ridge runner that was at the shelter with us last night, and he asked what had happened, as I was going the wrong way on the trail now and had no pack. I explained and hurried on.Happily, I did beat the guy back, so I collected my pack and traversed the same half mile for the third time that morning.