morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-09-07
From: Swift River Pond Campsite

To: Rangely, ME
Miles today: 4.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Nice quiet night at the campsite. I actually slept on and off for about 10 hours. Cold again though!Started off about 7:22 a.m. with a bright morning sun in my eyes. Had only walked about several hundred yards when I heard a loud crack of a branch in the woods nearby. I stopped and heard nothing more until I started walking again and saw a large bull moose crash through the woods off to the left of me. The morning sun reflecting off the antlers made them glow like gold. A pretty sight as the beast disappeared into the thicket of woods. My first moose. Cool!Made it to Maine 4, where I was able to get a ride into Rangeley. Got dropped off at the Gulf Pond Lodge, owned and operated by Bob O'Brien. Great gentlemen and place right on the water's edge.Will head up Saddleback Mountain in the morning. It's about three days or 30 some tough miles to Stratton.
Date: 2009-09-08
From: Rangely, ME

To: Orbeton Stream
Miles today: 13.4

Five months on the trail as of today.Started hiking late today. Grueling hike over Saddleback, Horn and the other peaks. When will Maine let up a bit? Legs are getting very tired and knees are sore. Vitamin I for breakfast, lunch and dinner.Beautiful views and my camera has a dead battery. Just perfect! Saddleback Mountain; home to the Navy Seals survival training area. I'm surviving; where the hell are they?Pretty windy today with a few sprinkles, but skies were mostly clear. Saw a pile of moose crap still steaming in the cold morning sun, but no moose to be seen. Nine hours of hiking to cover 13 miles. Very slow going. Will the adventure in paradise ever end? Perhaps the answer is on Tiki Mountain.Nice sunset over Gulf Pond (pictured) with the hope of loons calling later in the night.Tomorrow, Lone and Spaulding Mountains followed by the Carrabassett River. Should be another painful day. Inching my way toward Stratton and the Bigelow Range.
Date: 2009-09-09
From: Orbeton Stream

To: Crocker Mountain Campsite
Miles today: 11.5

Started hiking kinda late. Lone and Spaulding Mountains were pretty easy. Hike down Sugarloaf Mountain was steep, and my left knee continues to get aggravated on steep downhills. Several times, my knee has completely given out, only to be saved by my hiking poles, with one still seriously bent. Some concerns here with this knee. Not getting a whole lot better with time.Hiking over South Crocker Mountain and Crocker Mountain tomorrow on my way into Stratton.Going down to freezing tonight, and I only have a 40 degree bag. Time to pile on the clothes. Mornings are the toughest. Nothing hot to drink and changing into wet smelly hiking clothes.At this stage of the game, everything smells like a dirty old sock; tent, sleeping bag, you name it. The hiker¢s perfume, I guess. We never like it; just tolerate it as part of the hiking process.Thanks to Bob Obrien of the Gulf Pond Lodge. A true gentleman and now friend!
Date: 2009-09-10
From: Crocker Mountain Campsite

To: Stratton
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Nice night on a warm bed of pine needles. Pines needles offer such a better warm night's sleep than the hard, bare ground. The cold from bare ground comes right up through the air mattress.The climbs up South and North Crocker Mountains were easy, but the condition of my left knee made it almost unbearable. I can't push off or step down without severe pain. Knee is swollen as well.Weighing my options at this point. Hiking against time at this stage of the game. Reluctantly, I will take a day off tomorrow. Not much else I can do. Hate to see other hikers pass me by. Thanks to Tagless, Tag-along and Mountain Man, as well as Waterboy, for the help.Option one is: I've hiked the 100 mile Wilderness and climbed Mt. Katahdin in 05, so reaching Monson would complete my entire hike of the AT. Don't know what option two is yet, but I will continue to hike on at this point of the game, hoping the day off will help the knee.
Date: 2009-09-16
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

That's right everyone, I'm home.X-rays of my knee showed a clear tear in the medial ligament of my left knee. Doctors said if I did not stop hiking, I would face almost certain surgery. So after several days of pure hell deliberating over the pros and cons, I decided to pull the plug on my hike so that I could hike again.It was a wonderful ride! I hiked 1990 miles, about 73 miles short of completing the AT between my hike this year and in 2005, when I completed Virginia and the 100 mile Wilderness and climbing Mt. Katahdin. I'm pretty proud of my accomplishment this year, and I would hope all my faithful journal followers would feel the same.I would like to thank my journalist, Bob, who did an outstanding job at posting my journal almost on a daily basis. I wish him the best next year in his AT endeavor. I would also like to thank all of you that have supported me and offered encouragement to me along the way.I'll add some final journal entries when my home internet connection gets up and running.Bottom line is, hiking the entire AT in one year is brutal, and I applaud all who have accomplished that endeavor. I will remember all who I met along the way.¢Holy Cow,¢ as Harry would say, I hiked 14 states from Georgia to Maine. Until my next entry.Yours truly, NedtheFed.
Date: 2009-10-14
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Thought it about time to provide some comments on gear. I spent a year in preparation for my hike and did extensive research on new gear and gear other hikers used before me like Garlic and Pickle of 2008. When I started at the Hiker Hostel in GA about 15 of us all weighed our packs on the front porch scale. Some were 50 lbs plus. I was second to lightest with 30 lbs of winter gear and 4 days of food and water. As it turns out I was really happy with my gear throughout my hike as I was always trying to get lighter along the way. During the summer at my lightest my gear only filled up have my pack and weighed in without food and water about 15 pounds. I'll just go down my gear list as it is shown under the gear list tab on TJ and provide some comments on each item. Mohoosuc Arm  Marmot Dryclime Wind Jacket: Great jacket for layering. Wore it almost daily at the beginning of the hike. Sent home during the summer and didn't get it back for the Whites, but would have as it was not in my resupply gear box.   Montbell Down Jacket: Super! Sent it home during summer and sorely missed it because of the unusually cool summer on the east coast. Could have used it the entire way.   Smartwool Heavy Duty Hiking Socks: Used about 5 pair along the way. No blisters the entire trip. Ordered my hiking trail runners in a half size larger and wider to accommodate the thicker socks and swelling feet. Only complaint was they lost there elasticity quickly and would fall down while hiking.   Sierra Designs Isotope Rain Jacket: Very light but I was a little disappointed it didn't keep me dry in heavy rain. I used it most for layering and warmth and actually slept in it. Sipper broke along the way. Good for summer.   Bandana: Everyone needs one. Countless uses. Used mine mostly to wipe the sweat out of my eyes while hiking up mountains. Kept it attached to my front pack strap for handy use. In windy conditions though it would sometimes fly around and block my view of my footsteps.   Golite Rain Pants: Very light. Didn't start with them. Used during during mostly for warmth. Slept in them on cold nights during the summer when my 50 degree bag was not enough. Mixed feelings on rain paints during the summer. I also carried a ULA rain wrap.   Marmot Essence Rain Jacket: A workhorse for everything when cold and wet. Great jacket. Held up well. Sent it home during summer but was glad to get to back in Glencliff. Great town jacket when doing laundry.   Exofficio Convertible Hiking Pants: Best pants out there as far as I'm concerned. Dry fast, resist water and confortable. When my pants burned up in a dryer in N. Woodstock I could not find any Exofficio's so bought a pair of North Face's and did not like them.   Wooly Neck Gaiter. Can't remember using it once. Sent it home after the Smokies.   Gotta go. To be continued.Navigating Mohoosuc Notch
Date: 2009-11-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I continue to add more photos to my journal. There are some that are out of sequence and some duplicates as some were taken with my cell phone while others of better quality were taken with a 12 mp digital camera. Some photos were taken by other hikers namely Waterboy. Still have several hundred more to upload.View from Webster CliffsLunch with several Timber Rattlers in PANature, Phyllis, Waterboy & NedtheFedTag, Tagless & Mountain Man headed up Kinsman MtnThe gang's all here
Date: 2010-01-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I've been uploading more photos. However, still have to edit them for description and location. Just wanted everyone who followed me last year that my journalist of last year, Bob Knight, aka Kingkrawler, will be hiking the trail this year starting March 15. I will be serving as his journalist. Should he make it to Stratton, ME where I left off because of my knee I may join him to finish the deal.
Date: 2010-02-13
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Have edited most of the photos I've uploaded; however, there is some redundancy within the photos which I'll attempt to eliminate in the future.Pictured above in the orange shirt is my transcriber from last year. His trail name is Kingkrawler and he will be starting March 15th this year.I would like to wish the Class of 2010 the best and I'll be following you every step of the way. Hopefully, the last two months of old man winter have not taken too much a toll on the trail.Perhaps even a few of you might even see me on the trail in Maine in August where I have 63 miles to complete the AT between Stratton and Monson. If I do that I'll probably continue on and do the 100 Mile Wilderness which I've done before just for chuckles.Waterboy, Lucky Joe, Moe and Mostly at DWC Mizpah Spring Hut in the DistanceLake of the Clouds Hut
Date: 2010-02-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

A picture of Russell Field shelter in the Smokies. There were about 15 of us in the shelter that night. The shelter register said a bear had visited the shelter the past few nights. I hung my full Platypus 4 liter Water Tank on that sign in front of the shelter. The next morning another hiker said they found the water tank about 50 yards away all chewed up. Guess the bear made a water toy of it during the night.If anyone is interested in knowing how to place multiple photographs within journal text please email me and I will send you the instructions. Lipstick taught me how to do this.Water Tank with bear teeth marksPicture of Model T author of Walking on the Happy Side of Misery at Neels GapPhoenix and Raffle Queen north of Waynesboro, VAFlatlander and NedtheFed at the 1001 mile marker near Blackburn Trail Center A rather large Timber Rattlesnake just before Furnace State Park
Date: 2009-04-22
From: Preparations

To: Springer Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 0.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Well here I am ¢ back on the trail- a whopping 0.2 trail miles, 2,178.1 to go and at my current rate of progress only another 10,890 days lie ahead or alternatively I¢ll see you some time in 2039. Maybe I should speed up a bit.Today wasn¢t just about 0.2 miles though. It was about getting from Atlanta to the Trail and in that regard it revolved principally (although not exclusively) around 3 people: - The driver of the transfer bus who took me to Gainsville and with whom I talked boxing; Duran, Leonard, Vernon Forest. He liked Hattton. I tried to convince him of Froach and Haye. - Connie, who was also on the transfer bus and was kind enough to go out of her way to drop me at a grocery store despite just being off a long flight from Hawaii and suffering a rather nasty cold. - Don, the taxi driver who took me to Amicoloa. More good chat. This time about music (it sounded like he was rather good and I may have misled him about my ability just to keep the conversation flowing) and about guns and the fact that it really isn¢t guns that kill people ¢ interesting.So most of the logistics behind me I was off on the not unchallenging approach trail. Before long I took the first of what I hope will be many ¢socks and shoes off¢ breaks and managed to read a few pages of my book under fine blue Georgia skies.It had been hot but was starting to cool by the time I reached Springer Mountain and at 6.50pm, after a brief pause, I set off for my second attempted thru hike of the Appalachian Trail.The shelter was only 0.2miles along the trail though - hence the infeasible short first day. It wasn¢t long before I was snug in my tent, physically snug that is but mentally ¢¦., well, truth be told, I was more than a little scared.
Date: 2009-04-23
From: Springer Mountain Shelter

To: Justus Creek
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: clear sky

Well today was excellent! - another bright warm (maybe too warm) day with lots of sunshine and blue skies. I was in fine fettle as I wandered up and down the reasonably challenging start that the AT throws at you.The heat and shortage of foliage meant shade was at a premium and as a result I didn¢t stop as often as I might have liked. However, when I did stop I was lucky enough to pick just the spot to witness something a little unusual (well unusual to me). Directly across the trail something odd seemed to be stuck to the trunk of a tree ¢ it was lime green with two red spots and two little streamer tails, maybe five inches wide and sort of ¢stingray¢ shaped. I would have sworn someone had pinned a piece of paper to the tree but apparently nature¢s wonders are more numerous and all together more bizarre than my simple mind can comprehend. On closer inspection it started to move and had an unnervingly hairy body. Being a little wary of hairy things I took a quick and perhaps a slightly cowardly step backwards.Now I don¢t know what it is but there is something about hairy beasties that is all rather unsettling ¢ if not faintly evil ¢ I¢m thinking big hairy spiders, King Kong, the Ayatollah Khomeini. It doesn¢t even have to be a lot of hair ¢ look at what the merest piece of unnecessary facial hair did for Hitler! But then as I stood there, a safe distance from what I would later discover was a lunar (or maybe luna) moth, I paused and thought instead of Lassie, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo and the Littlest Hobo ¢ all hairy and all good eggs. Maybe I was being harsh on the poor little lunar moth and perhaps the Trail would allow me to reassess some of my unjustified misconceptions. I¢m sure that cannot be a bad thing.P.S.The reason I now know that it was a recently ¢hatched¢ lunar (luna) moth was thanks to Mark who I met at a road crossing (Mark also gave me a Georgia Bulldogs rugby shirt). And the day would not be complete without mentioning Jim who I camped with at Justice Creek ¢ really nice guy, great company and an Ian Rankin reader. Cheers Gentlemen!
Date: 2009-04-24
From: Justus Creek

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: clear sky

It was another hot day out on the Trail and also a quite remarkable one.About mid-morning as I was strolling north I passed a gentleman going the other way. As is customary on such occasions we paused for a few pleasantries. However, what wasn¢t so customary was that after the gentleman asked my name he then said ¢We had dinner together in Vernon¢.Jings, crivens, help me Bob if it wasn¢t Pastor John who I met on my 2003 hike! In fact we didn¢t just have dinner but John bought me dinner. Now I know quite a few Scotsmen who would follow you around for 6 years until you ¢stood your hand¢ but I hadn¢t expected such behaviour from Pastor John.It shows how strong a shared experience the Trail can be as we both remembered where and when we had met and other apparently minor details about our previous meeting and about each other.I asked if it had been the accent or the movie star good looks that had triggered his recognition but he replied that actually it was the hat, then the accent. We parted all too soon but we both had our separate destinations to head for although my afternoon¢s walk was infinitely more enjoyable due to the unexpectedness and the pleasure of it all.I dondered on with a ¢gleckit¢ grin on my face thinking that the only thing that might beat that as the highlight of the day would be to arrive at the shelter to find the Swedish female beach volleyball team there. That seems rather unlikely, but then again what odds would I have given on bumping into Pastor John today. Unusual things do apparently happen out here. My stride lengthened and my pace quickened in what was new expectation rather than mere hope of what might lie ahead.
Date: 2009-04-25
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Whitley Gap Shelter
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: clear sky

It was a brisk start to the day with the climb up Blood Mountain where I stopped for breakfast and to enjoy the view before heading down to Neal¢s Gap and the store there. Even after only a few days out I was keen to enjoy some of the treats so easily and abundantly available in normal life. These can at times seem the stuff of distant memory or the wildest fantasies to the long distance backpacker.Once again it seemed that in the early stages of the trip my body was craving ¢fizzy pop¢ and I quickly demolished two cans of Mello Yello. All was well, I relaxed for an hour or so with Peter and Ed who I met at last night¢s shelter and munched some Pringles and ice cream. One guy was sending back 18 pounds of gear that has seemed essential before hitting the Trail but, after 30 fairly tough miles, were now surplus to requirements. He laughed about it and if you can learn that lesson after 30 miles it will serve you well over the next 2000 plus. I think he will do well.I headed on and was glad to find the Trail significantly less challenging than what had gone before. It was smooth and rolled along nicely and I even caught a little cooling breeze from time to time. Recently a bear had been active in this area so no camping was allowed for 6 or so miles. As a result I had decided to head for the next shelter that would mean I would be on a different schedule from my 2003 trip. But that was not before a tough climb up out of Tesnatee Gap and a hot mile along a side trail.I arrived tired but happy to find the shelter quite busy with a group of boy scouts. Initially I had been a bit apprehensive about the big crowd but I couldn¢t have been more wrong.I had a great evening with Troop 973 BSA from Conyers, Georgia. I parked myself in the shade of the shelter and had a fine time talking to both the leaders and the scouts ¢ a great bunch, very sociable and they made me feel most welcome. I¢d have said that even if all we had done was just sit and talk, but, on top of that (and quite out of the blue) I was fed Stroganoff and potatoes and drank the most delicious cup of lemonade (boy did I gulp that down ¢ as I said the body is craving pop). I felt guilty that I didn¢t have to move a muscle. The ¢waiter service¢ was attentive and efficient and they even packed out the trash and filtered my water.A thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable evening and thanks to all who were there for making it so.
Date: 2009-04-26
From: Whitley Gap Shelter

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: clear sky

Said goodbye to the boy scouts this morning but not before I received, and gratefully accepted, another souvenir t-shirt . Although at the current rate of two new t-shirts in the first five days I may well end up carrying a 325 pound pack by the time I reach Maine. But if this is how it goes I¢ll be a very happy man (although I¢ll probably also be a much shortened man at 3 feet 6 inches I¢d say).It was an easy walk today. On initially towards Low Gap Shelter and then kicking on for Blue Mountain. Nothing too exciting happened. My back, which had been bothering me ever so slightly yesterday, was much better (which was good) but on the other hand I did get a blister on the end of my little toe (which was bad).So far the feet have been doing pretty well. I¢ve walked in both my trail shoes and my sandals and I was glad of that option as now I could switch to my sandals and continue pain free, allowing my toe to begin to heal.I had time to think about one thing though and that was how to address (or not) the fact that this was my second thru hike. Initially I hadn¢t wanted to mention it to people as I thought it might make them treat me differently. However, that became awkward and at times I found myself ¢manipulating¢ the truth of even worse, lying ¢ which I didn¢t really like. I¢ve started to mention it now just in passing when it seems appropriate. Not ¢look at me, look at me¢ but more ¢well, actually¢¦¢. It seems to work better and I am happier with it ¢ the reality is this is my second hike, so some (much) of the mystery and excitement of something new will not be there ¢ no point in pretending otherwise. Instead I need to embrace the joys of revisiting an ¢old friend¢, enjoying the familiar and revelling in the unexpected.
Date: 2009-04-27
From: Blue Mountain Shelter

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: clear sky

Bit of a novelty this morning as I awoke to some mist and generally cooler temperatures. It didn¢t last too long thought and I was soon sweating under bright blue skies as the Trail went down, up down then up again to Tray Mountain. The Trail has been quiet so far and I¢ve been able to enjoy the solitude with very little human interaction or interruption. I¢m getting into a really good rhythm. Initially I was maybe stopping too often but now I just stop a lot! You don¢t knock off the miles the same but you do let your feet breathe, relax and get a chance to read a few pages of your book, escaping to Ancient Rome, surrounded by the sounds of nature, breathing clean mountain air and drinking cool mountain water. A fine combination and I must say I like it when my mind is this empty.It was a nice afternoon walk to Deep Gap Shelter and another new stop on the AT for me. I¢ve camped every night so far but I still like to head for the shelters to meet other hikers, to see who is out here and to put some faces to names.In 2003 I met a guy who had hiked the Trail twice and when I asked why? He said ¢for the solitude and the company¢ and I thought ¢that makes no sense¢. However, it does now ¢ a little bit of company and companionship is the prefect complement to a day spent alone in the woods.Heading down to the shelter I heard voices and was excited to see who and what lay ahead. I arrived to find Josh, Aaron, Herb and Jade the dog relaxing in the sun and preparing their evening meal.Jade was a super cool, well-mannered dog (albeit a super cool, well-mannered dog with slightly sore feet). Josh, Aaron and Herb were super cool, well-mannered hikers. I immediately felt both at peace and at home. We chatted and I nibbled my way through some snacks before settling down to the perfect end to the day ¢ a wee dram of ¢Bowmore¢ malt whisky.I got quite a bit of booze when I left work and so I resolved to take a little with me to give me a warm glow at the end of a hard day and to let my mind drift back to the good people I left behind. Due to weight and space constraints I limited myself to the four miniatures and had started by drinking the Glenmorangie straight out of the bottle a couple of nights ago. It wasn¢t the best way to savour it though so tonight I has done a bit more preparation. I had carefully kept a used Doles Mandarin Oranges in Jello ¢plastic cup thing¢ and while it would never pass for the finest crystal I was confident it would ¢do the job¢. Half the miniature the same amount of water, sip after savoured sip. Bliss. My confidence had not been misplaced.We sat around the fire chatting for a while as the day turned to night and then it was time for bed.