morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-07-10
From: Bemis Mountain Lean-to

To: ME 4; Rangeley, ME
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: few clouds

Some animal was on the roof early this morning so I banged on the wood floor to scare whatever it was away. It was an effective technique. I started to hike around 8:20 and the sun was out in all its glory. The trek down Bemis Mountain to Bemis stream had spectacular views. The forest density was low so I had good visibility of the landscapes. I crossed the stream in my boots and took a break afterward to twist some excess water from my socks. As I sat down drying out, a southbound couple passed and said they'd stayed with Carolina and Big Boots last night. I knew I'd intersect them if I made it to Rangeley for the evening.I hiked up to ME 17 which had fantastic scenery of Bemis Mountain. I had over 3 miles to the next lean-to for lunch so I moved quickly around mud pits and up some short, rocky climbs. I reached Sabbath Day Pond and its associated shelter just after noon. The ponds are numerous and large in Maine. The terrain is great but the mud is thick. I consumed some peanut butter and a candy bar before leaving.Beyond the shelter was a steady, but not too steep, climb and then descent. I passed a couple ponds on the way and even layed down near the beach for a few minutes at Little Swift River Pond. It took a couple hours more to get to ME 4 which is 9 miles east of Rangeley.   Thus, getting to Rangeley required some hitch hiking. I stood by the road for over a half hour before getting picked up by a local coming back from a business meeting. He dropped me off downtown in the tourist district. I called Gull Pond Lodge to tell the owner that I was staying the night but wanted to eat. First, I actually went to the outfitter before it closed to purchase new rain pants. Afterward, it was on to Sarge's Sports Pub for dinner. I ordered a beer, 2 cokes, a 16 oz. prime rib, salad, a roll, mashed potatoes with gravy, and corn. That was a delectable meal. To top it off, I watched the Red Sox in the process. I was forced to leave after the 3rd inning to get to the grocery store. The owner of Gull Pond Lodge drove me to the IGA and then to the hostel. It is a wooden cabin on the edge of the pond and it used to be a camp. A picturesque Maine setting indeed. Carolina is here tonight but Big Boots left town late in the day to stay at a shelter a couple miles north.
Date: 2009-07-11
From: ME 4; Rangeley, ME

To: Poplar Ridge Lean-to
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: scattered clouds

The 45 miles of trail north of Rangeley contain some of the largest climbs in the state and the entire trail. I really would like to finish them to get to the flatter, thus faster, terrain beyond to Katahdin. I left town at 7:30 to start hiking with the notion of having a short day. The forecast was for afternoon or evening t'storms since a cold front was approaching. Therefore, my game plan was to hike a short day and get to lower elevations by mid afternoon.   The trail steadily rose to Saddleback Mountain (4120') from the road (1600'). It passes several ponds and mud bogs but overall I didn't struggle until 1.8 miles before the summit when the grade is steep and rocky. I grabbed onto trees to get over some of the rock faces. You pass over a crest that you think may be the summit but then realize once you're there that Saddleback's summit is still a ways away. I had glorious views with mainly clear skies with a few developing cumulus. Most of my miles at and beyond Saddleback were above treeline. Supposedly, on pristine days, you can see Mt. Washington, the Atlantic Ocean, and Mt. Katahdin from the summit. I didn't see any of the three but I wasn't disappointed. The view was still amazing.I ate on top before doing two more descents and climbs: The Horn, and Saddleback Junior. With my knee still tight and sore, it was hard to go down these sections. They were steep, rocky, and stressful. Sometimes I think I sweat from just concentrating on where to step.I arrived at Poplar Ridge Shelter at 2:30 flat-out exhausted. I called it a day and relaxed. Four southbound thru hikers are joining me for the night. Dark clouds and rain moved in at 9.
Date: 2009-07-12
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-to

To: ME 27; Stratton, ME
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: scattered clouds

There were two loud crackles of thunder last night but other than that I slept from 10 to 6:30. Well, kind of.   The floor of the shelter was baseball bat style. This means that instead of boards for the floor, they use branches 3 inches in diameter that are laid along the long axis of your body. It was uncomfortable so I tossed and turned quite over the course of the night.I crossed Orberton stream with no problem and then hiked up to Lone Mountain. This stretch of land was enjoyable hiking. There were only small to medium sized rocks on the trail and the ground was firm. It was steep for a little while before the shelter but I made it in for lunch at noon. I treated water and ate peanut butter before a steep, rock climb up the side of Spaulding Mountain. The trail does not go to the summit. It is possible to take a short side trail but I didn't want to bother.I went slow down the rocks on the other side. The trail passes next to Sugarloaf Mountain ( a major ski resort in Maine and also the second tallest mountain in Maine) and then down a barren, rocky ravine.At the bottom of the ravine was a stream I'd heard from southbounders as being very risky. They all told of waters so high nobody could cross for a day or two with all this rain. When I got there the water levels were much lower I guess since I didn't even change into my crocs. I jumped from one rock to the next and also used a plank in the middle.It was now 3:30 and I had two 4000' mountains ahead; South and North Crocker. I could have stopped just before them but I wanted to get these two out of the way. I went up some rocky surfaces and reached the summit of South Crocker where I ate candy and granola bars.I hiked down for a half mile and back up another half mile to the top of North Crocker. The sun was setting and the clouds increased but I kept hiking. The rest of the trail was flat to ME 27. It was still 5.2 miles away, but I finished just after 7. Over 11.5 hours I'd covered more than 10% of what I have left to Katahdin. That felt good.I hitched the 5 miles into Stratton. A young woman who worked for the Maine ATC was the first to drive by so it was an easy hitch. I'm staying at the Stratton Motel and hostel. I ordered a small cheese pizza (best on trail) and a pint of ice cream. Big Boots is here tonight too!
Date: 2009-07-13
From: ME 27; Stratton, ME

To: Little Bigelow Lean-to
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: moderate rain

Big Boots made pancakes this morning so there was no need to make or order food myself. I had an enjoyable wake-up shower before breakfast and then had syrup, pancakes, chocolate milk, orange juice, and hostess donuts.We were all packed up by 7 and the owner of the motel drove us to the trail. Our day today featured the Bigelows. This is our last day of 4000' peaks until Mt. Katahdin.The skies were clear early after some showers moved through last night, but by 10 a.m. dark, grey cumulus and cumulonimbus moved in. The climb up to Horns Pond Lean-to took some upper body strength at times but was generally a steady foot climb. After 2000 feet of elevation gain there is an overlook of Horn Pond with South Horn peak in the background. This is a really impressive sight.The shelter is below the overlook and I sat there and talked to the caretaker of the area for 20 minutes before Big Boots and I climbed West Horn (3805'). It began to rain on the climb so I put my rain jacket and pack cover on. The air temperatures were in the low 50s at this time too. From West Horn we could see Bigelow West peak and Avery Peak. It just required going down two hundred feet and up 600 to get there.The view from West Bigelow was amazing. There were tall cumulus around and the showers were to our east and west. The mountains were visible all around since cloud base was pretty high. We sat and talked to two southbounders for a few minutes before going down 300 feet and up 300 to Avery Peak for lunch. These two peaks are above treeline. On Avery Peak, Big Boots and I had a very short lunch. Pea size hail fell for 10 minutes. We thought we could hide near the downwind side of an old wooden structure on top but decided to get below the alpine elevations.Hiking down Avery Peak was rocky and tedious. Once we were down to 2230', we climbed Little Bigelow (3010'). Big Boots and I soaked in the sun on an exposed rock near the summit. He ate and I watched because I've under supplied on food until Monson. The trail down Little Bigelow ended our day at the Lean-to. We got in just before heavy rain showers and wind arrived.
Date: 2009-07-14
From: Little Bigelow Lean-to

To: Pierce Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: broken clouds

A few rain showers moved through last night and the cool mornings remain. I ate a honey bun and a couple Pop Tarts for breakfast. Boots and I were hiking by 7:20.The nice aspect of the trail today was how flat it was. There are only two features on the elevation profiles and neither are climbs greater than 700'. Most of the time the trail brings you from one pond to the next. When I say pond to describe these bodies of water in Maine it is an understatement in terms of size. They would be lakes in Connecticut but I guess the water is just shallow here in Maine. After lunch at West Carry Pond Lean-to, Boots and I hiked 4 miles to East Carry Pond for a swim. There is a small 20 foot beach right on the trail. We jumped in despite the 60 degree air temperatures and mostly cloudy skies. The water was nice and refreshing.One milestone that we crossed yesterday was the 2000 mile mark. Today, we passed Long Falls Dam road which had "2000 miles" spray painted in the middle of it. We snapped some photos of the occasion and moved on.Our hike today was 17.3 miles but it felt much shorter. We were done by 3 o'clock thanks to the easy, flat terrain. If the mud was absent, we'd have hike even faster. Pierce Pond Lean-to is right next to the pond and Harrison's Pierce Pond Camps. We'll take a side trail to the camps for a "lumberjack" breakfast that I made reservations for from the top of Rounndtop Mountain.Also noteworthy, it only showered 3 or 4 times today.
Date: 2009-07-15
From: Pierce Pond Lean-to

To: Moxie Bald Mountain Lean-to
Miles today: 22.8

Near the trail is Harrison's Pierce Pond Camps which serves breakfast for $10. Big Boots and I were up at 6:20 and all packed by 6:50. It is a 10 minute walk to the camp using a side trail.Tom Harrison, the owner and chef, cooked us each 15 pancakes, 2 eggs, and a few strips of bacon. These are the best pancakes I've ever had. The batter had fresh blueberries, raspberries, and apples inside. A little confectioner sugar and maple syrup put them over the top. I cleared my plate and so did Big Boots. It was an excellent start to the day.Our hike began just after 8 and we had 3.7 miles to get to the Kennebec River. This is the only river in Maine without a bridge that you do not have to ford. There is a ferry (canoe) that crosses the river which is run by the ATC. The service is free to hikers. Apparently hikers have died trying to ford since the water levels increase unexpectedly due to a hydroelectricity power plant upstream. I got there at 9:30 and already 5 southbounders and Big Boots had crossed. The ferry only operates from 9-11 a.m. at this point in the season.After the river, Big Boots and I climbed 2000' over 7.3 miles to the top of Pleasant Pond Mountain. We stopped on top for lunch. The views weren't spectacular on the semi rocky summit. Plus, an overcast cloud deck and cool temperatures in the low 60s didn't make it feel too comfortable.We left the summit at 1 and had a bumpy 5 mile descent to Moxie Pond. There was a road just before the pond crossing and 2 locals walking their dog asked how far we were going. I responded with 7 more miles to the shelter on the other side of Moxie Bald Mountain (2629'). The man said that it would take us six hours from his previous experience. I laughed to myself at this notion since I knew we would do it much faster. Never tell a thru hiker how long it takes you to hike somewhere.Boots and I forded the river and went 2.5 miles in 45 minutes. We then climbed a well maintained trail to the top of Moxie Bald in 50 minutes and back down in another 50. It took us 2.5 hours to do what the man told us would take 6.The summit of Moxie Bald was glorious. It is completely rock allowing for 360 degree views. We sat on top for 10 minutes. It was a nice, rainless day on the AT.
Date: 2009-07-16
From: Moxie Bald Mountain Lean-to

To: ME 15; Monson, ME
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: broken clouds

Just as the sun began to light the sky, Big Boots left the shelter.   I on the other hand, waited until 5:40 to rise and 6:20 to start hiking. I've heard that moose are on or near the trail only early in the morning. These rumors appear to be true. I saw my first and maybe only moose on an old gravel road a couple miles after the lean-to. It ran up the road right when I saw it. I dropped my pack and hiked in that direction to a crest in the road. The moose was just beyond, staring in my direction. I took a couple photos while getting bit by mosquitoes.Not too far away, I put on my crocs to ford a stream that was just above the knees and flowing real slow.   The trail afterward was all mud. There was no tactic to avoid stepping in any of the seemingly endless mud traps.I eventually found myself at two small streams about 5 feet wide and 3 feet deep. The first I crossed with boots since I could jump across the deep part but the other I switched to crocs for. I left my crocs on for about 0.3 miles since I could sense that the big ford across the west branch of the Piscatiquis was coming up. This turned out to be a good assumption. To the right of the main crossing is a 'u' shaped rapid area which I walked along since it was the shallowest area and only knee deep. Previous hikers have lost gear going through the most direct route since it is supposed at least waist deep. The second half of the ford comes after a 3 meter wide island. This section of water is much slower but thigh deep. I switched to boots for the time being once across.The trail follows the river bank all the way to the lean-to 3 miles down. There are a series of ups and downs along the side that are tiring. I took a 20 minute break at the lean-to for lunch. After 2 granola bars and a couple scoops of peanut butter my food bag was officially empty with 9 miles to get to town.2.3 miles beyond the lean-to, I switched to crocs yet again for the more mellow east branch of the Piscatiquis. All these fords can eat time out of the day with switching footwear. Showers began right after I crossed and I trudged through the next 6 miles of mainly uphill terrain to get to the road. Tonight, Big Boots and I are staying at Shaw's in Monson, ME. This is our last trail town. Tomorrow we start the notorious 100 mile wilderness. Also a highlight of the day, Big Boots and I each ate 16 tacos at the all-you-can-eat taco night at the Lake Shore House. We had ice cream afterward!
Date: 2009-07-17
From: ME 15; Monson, ME

To: Cloud Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: overcast clouds

One of the perks of Shaw's is the all-you-can-eat breakfast for 7 dollars. They served french toast, homefries, eggs, bacon and sausage. It was a shame that I wasn't at my maximum hunger due to the tacos last night. I managed to consume 5 french toasts, 3 eggs, 3 sausage, and 3 bacon strips.Big Boots and I took a ride to the trailhead and started the well-documented 100 mile wilderness at 8:30.   Hiking was slow for a few reasons.   One is the fact that the trail is poorly maintained. There were roots, down trees, broken planks, rocks, and overgrowth to deal with. The trail also featured small, repetitive ups and downs.   The other reason is our heavy packs. Both of us had 100 miles (5 to 6 days) worth of food on our backs. That is a lot more than we've had in quite some time.If I had to provide an overall description to the day it would be exhausting.   I was beat after only 10 miles. We had 3 fords.   Each of them actually felt refreshing but ate time with footwear changes. The first was right after Little Wilson falls. The second was across Big Wilson Stream. It had a rope to cling to but there was no need to rely on it.   The third was through Long Pond Stream. The last two were definitely the most powerful streams I've forded. Big Boots and I dropped our packs after crossing Big Wilson and went into the stream for a dip. The sun was out and temperatures must have hit the lower 80s. Before Long Pond Stream was a gravel road where a woman, who we ate breakfast with, was parked. She is supporting her husband (SWC) through allowing him to slackpack the entire trail. She offered us a couple sodas and we gladly accepted after a long day. By that time it was 3:30 and we still planned to do 5 more miles up to Barren Mountain. We climbed slowly up 2000' feet to the top of Barren Mountain (2660'). I reached the summit around 6 o'clock and climbed a metal tower for some views. A high, grey cloud deck moved over as expected with the approaching system. It was just a mile to Cloud Pond Lean-to, except there is an additional half mile side trail you need to take to get to the lean-to. It is worth staying in the lean-to since the rain began around 9 o'clock.
Date: 2009-07-18
From: Cloud Pond Lean-to

To: Carl A. Newhall Lean-to
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: moderate rain

As forecasted, it rained all night and through mid afternoon today.   I cooked some oatmeal and ate a couple Pop Tarts before trudging into the weather. This type of rain wasn't all too bad. I took off my rain jacket in favor of just a t-shirt since it was warm out.The new rain pants I purchased in Rangeley didn't perform as well as my old ones. My legs were soaked the whole day. Although I did get sores on my hips just like I did from my old ones.The trail was a roller coaster for all but the last 5 miles. You go up Fourth Mountain and then down and then back up to Third Mounain and down. Up Chairback and then down. All of these were about 500 foot ascents and descents. Between these mountains were terrible bogs that had broken planks. This was especially the case before Chairback Mountain and after the shelter. In terms of trail conditions, there was plenty of mud and puddles.   The worst is the smooth, wet rocks on the summits which the Maine Appalachian Trail Club seems to go out of their way to find. Going down Chairback Mountain (2180') was a rock scramble similar to the Osgood Trail down Mt. Madison. I was not enjoying that section very much. The trail then progressed through evergreen and pine trees with canopy levels at least a 100 feet high.Our only ford of the day was Pleasant River.   This is the widest ford but the current is slow and the depth was just above the knee at most. After I crossed I sat on a log and squeezed the excess water from my socks and boots while I talked to the ridge runner. Her name was Steps Small. She and her boyfriend, Cheeks, thru hiked in 2007 and knew Easy Strider well. We discussed the terrible weather this year compared to '07. Big Boots and I huffed up a nice, steady climb to the shelter. It took us a quick hour and a half to go 3.5. The rain stopped in the mid afternoon but clouds stuck. It was nice to call it a day at 3:30 PM.
Date: 2009-07-19
From: Carl A. Newhall Lean-to

To: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-tp
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: scattered clouds

I had a sunny, 7 o'clock begin to the day. I wore my rain gear in hopes that it would dry as I hiked. On the second climb of the day I began sweating so I stripped down. Today, like yesterday, would have many choppy, steep mountains and then end with smooth trail. The comforting notion is that after today the terrain is smooth sailing until Mt. Katahdin.In under a mile I climbed 880' to Gulf Hagas Mountain and it was a mile later that I took off my rain gear. The climb to West Peak put me at 3178'. Sequential ups and downs brought me to Hay Mountain (3245') and finally White Cap (3650'). I laid out my gear on the summit so it could dry in the sunshine. I took photos of the rocky summit and surrounding valleys. In the process I downed a packet of tuna, a scoop of peanut butter, and a few oreos.   My stomach was empty by 10 a.m. despite the usual portions of breakfast.On the other side of White Cap was an amazing site. The end of the trip. Katahdin's summit was covered in clouds but I could see the base and surrounding land so I was ecstatic. I yelled in joy. What a feeling to know you hiked from Georgia to within view of the finish, Mt Katahdin. I took photos and had a little extra gitty-up in my hitch for the 2400' descent. Rock steps down the steepest sections of White Cap made it easy on the mind and knees. Then the trail flattened out to a nice, gentle downhill walk all the way to East Branch Lean-to.   The woods were filled with tall pine trees and the ground had huge moss covered rocks. Big Boots and I ate and relaxed at the shelter for close to an hour. There was a short ford north of the shelter across the east branch of the Pleasant River. We got word that this would likely be the last ford of the trip so the cameras were out.(A couple days later we found out quickly that it wouldn't be.)We had a muddy, gentle climb up Little Boardman Mountain. We attained a view of White Cap and all attached peaks from the top. The hike down was easy besides a rock crossing of an outlet from Crawford Pond which was enormous.Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to is amazing. A beautiful swimming hole is a stone's throw away in front with a cascading stream.
Date: 2009-07-20
From: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to

To: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: overcast clouds

You couldn't have flatter ground on the AT than what was hiked today between Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to and Wadleigh Stream Lean-to. Knowing this through elevation profiles made my morning wake-up easy. My boots and socks are semi dry so the worst part of my day isn't so bad any more. The mosquitoes this morning were unbelievable. You stop for a split second and they swarm in on any possible exposed piece of skin. The worst is when you have to dump some body waste. Other than that, there was no real highlight to the walk this morning. It was nice and easy. My book noted a "unique" privy was located at the Antlers Campsite. The only special attribute to the usual shed appearance was a couple of glass windows. I didn't get too excited over this so I didn't even bother taking a picture.I reached Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to well before noon. I contemplated heading to White House Landing, a campground that serves food, offers bunks, and sells supplies, but decided against it since I had enough food to make it through the final 30 miles of the 100 Mile Wilderness. The spring at the Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to was really large and cold. I filled up my bladder to make it 10 more miles.Beyond Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to there was a lake that offered a spectacular view of Mount Katahdin. These ponds are enormous mirrors. The trail followed Nahmakanta Stream for miles. I was hiking against the water current so I knew the hike was going to be slightly uphill the entire way. There were some huge mud puddles that I could have avoided using a "High Water Trail" but I stuck to the AT the entire way. Eventually the stream becomes a lake and the trail actually is part of the beach at times. I passed four or five southbounders in the area and they all congratulated me on making it this far. In my mind, I was thanking them for not congratulating me on a successful thru hike. Who knows what could happen in the next few days. When I reached the shelter, I dropped my pack and went back 0.3 miles to a beach on the lake. The swim was an excellent way to end the day. Tonight I'm staying in the shelter with a woman in her upper 60s who is almost finished section hiking the entire trail. One of her hiking partners is in her 70s. That is amazing.