morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-06-30
From: Bald Mountain Brook Lean To

To: near Monson
Miles today: 18.6

Bald Mt Brook Lean To to near Monson 18.6 MilesThe trail is nice again today, dry and pretty smooth in most places, with the usual mud holes to navigate around. There was a small climb of about 1300 feet to the top of Moxie Bald mountain where the views were great. The decent was pretty fair and soon it was just a gentle rolling landscape rising and falling about 200 feet. There were at least 4 fords today, some thigh deep and those had safety ropes, some installed by the Sobo hikers trying to leave Monson after being stuck for 4 days by the high water. The water levels are nearly back to normal now. Just before one ford I met Drifter, War Wagon, and quickstep. We all ate a bit and talked about the trail and the rains last week. Near Horseshoe Canyon lean to I met Sam, NCHick, she was struggling with shin splint issues. I had some tape so I showed her how to tape them, I hope it helps long enough for her to get some wider tape and do a better job. As Crunch met her a couple of hours later she told him it was some better already. I met Ed in the shelter where I stopped for a break, he is from CO and hopes to complete, but admits he needs to lighten his pack and hopes to do so soon. After the shelter there was only one more ford. I was hanging out at the top of the hill for about an hour when Crunch got there. We thought it would be good to get close to Monson so we walked until 8:00 Pm. That put us only about 3.5 out from the highway. Tomorrow a nero.
Date: 2012-07-01
From: near Monson

To: ME 15 Monson Shaw's
Miles today: 3.5

The wind came up really fast about 9Pm. I put up my tarp as the sprinkles started, but neither lasted very long. There were a couple of deer around camp during the night. Apparently the did not like our smell because they snorted for about a minute and then moved on. We were moving again by 6Am. Soon my distance estimate was confirmed as we got to the blue blaze trail to Monson which is 3.3 miles from ME 15 to Monson. We arrived at the road near 8Am and Anne was soon there to take us for breakfast and re supply at Greenville. We had breakfast at Auntie Ems which was large and good food. I only got a couple of items from the store and the rest from the supply box in the truck. On the way back to Monson we saw a moose on the side of the road. We checked into Shaws and Crunch stayed and did laundry while Anne and I went back to the camper to use the computer and make reservations for Katahadin. We had to get 2 different lean to for the dates we needed but it was all handled. Now I guess I am on a time table to finish as our camper site needs to be vacated on the 12 of July We were back to Monson by 3Pm and had a big dinner at Spring Creek BBQ, beef and pork, pretty good. We walked through town and to the Lake shore Inn and looked about.   Back at Shaw's we just relaxed and took a break. To bed soon. Anne is coming. Back for the famous Shaw's breakfast, and then to get us back to the trail. Not sure how the cell signal will go after Monson, but I will post to the journal when I can after today.
Date: 2012-07-02
From: ME 15 Monson Shaw's

To: Long Pond Stream Lean To
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Posted from Barren mt Monson to Long Pond Stream Lean To 15 Miles. Had a big breakfast as Shaw's this morning. 4 hikers from Lake shore came up, Anne and Crunch for a total of 7. Anne had a #2 which was 2 of each, eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, and home fried potatoes. I and Crunch both has #3. We then checked the post office for Crunch's package but it was not there so we went back to Indian Hill trading post in Greenville to get water shoes before hitting the trail. Mission completed and on the trail by 9Am. The trail was good, though roots, rocks, and mud holes are now pretty much the norm. I passed Leeman brook lean to, and soon met another bunch of sobo hikers, probably 8 total. There were 3 fords total today. None difficult but all required attention and at least 20 minutes to change shoes, cross the ford, dry your feet and put back on your shoes. Other stream and rock hop crossings were many. I stopped and chatted with many sobo hikers, some talked more than others. I met a nobo, Light Bird, retired military, today and bumped on and off with him most of the afternoon. At the last ford there was a couple that had a broken water filter. I fixed them up with 4 liters of chemical treated water to get them most of the way to Monson. They thanked me and were on their way and I completed the last ford of the day and made my way the last mile into camp at 7Pm. Water and dinner done soon after. Light Bird is here and we are chatting about the trail and life in general. Crunch still has not arrived. Found out this morning as I was leaving the shelter he had stayed not far from there but could not find the sign into the shelter.
Date: 2012-07-03
From: Long Pond Stream Lean To

To: North Gulf Hagas trail intersection
Miles today: 17.4

Posted from whitehouse landingLong Pond Stream Lean To - North Gulf Hagas trail intersection. 17.4 milesRolled out of camp by 6:30 and headed up the tallest climb for the day, Barren Mt. While on top I posted yesterdays journal entry. Then on to the Fourth Mt, Third Mt, and the Chair back Mt where I had a good view of Katahdin. They were up and down all day long but nothing very difficult. The hardest thing of the day was the short rock scramble decent down Chairback Mt but it was not very long. I crossed the easy ford at the West branch of the Pleasant river and headed off to the North Gulf Hagas trail intersection where I stopped for the night. Crunch pulled in about 1.5 hours later. We ate and did camp chores and hit the hammock.
Date: 2012-07-04
From: North Gulf Hagas trail intersection

To: Boardman Mountain
Miles today: 16.6

Posted from whitehouse landingNorth Gulf Hagas trail intersection to Boardman Mountain. 16.6 milesSlept a bit later this morning, got up at 5:30. The trail was good today again. The first climb up Gulf Hagas Mt was steady but not to difficult. West peak and Hay Mt soon followed with little time spent due to mist and clouds. White Cap Mt was just another hill, no views today again. On the way up there were a pair of day hikers with 2 dogs, one a small black and white yapper and the other a small pit bull type. The larger was growling at me as the smaller tried to get behind me. I had my poles pointed at the larger one as the smaller one took a run at me, where I firmly smacked it on the head with my pole, it turned and ran downhill. The couple just hurried by and the guy said sorry. I told him I did not appreciate having to hit his dog but it would have been worse had I speared it instead. On White Cap I spent some time getting photos of the mist and the signs just for fun. During the day I again met a lot of sobo hikers. Compass, and Soft walker?, Don, Kman, Sir Bumpy, Tigger, and Pudah. I stopped and chatted with them sometimes for to long. I also met at least 6 more I did not get names for. I stopped and read some of the register entries at the shelters. I realized that I had chatted with a fellow yesterday for quite a while that looked quite familiar. It was Warren Doyle, long white hair and beard. I had seen him at Trail Days last year. I noted the entries in the registers, he is doing another section hike. There was suppose to be a ford at the 2ast Branch of th Pleasant River, but with a bit of looking I turned it into a rock hop to cross. I wanted to get in a few more miles so headed off to Boardman Mt. Great spring near the trail so I topped up. There is a big trail relocation and I ended up on the top of the mountain. There was a nice camping spot near the summit so I stopped. Dinner and phone calls made and Crunch got here right at 8Pm.
Date: 2012-07-05
From: Boardman Mountain

To: Whitehouse Landing
Miles today: 19.7

Posted from whitehouse landingBoardman Mountain to White house Landing 19.7It rained pretty hard overnight with an occasional light show. Everything under the tarp was dry though. Headed off downhill for a change. The trail was good though, rocks and roots with the occasional mud hole, it was mostly gentle grade downhill. I met a bunch more southbounders in passing today, most I don't remember their names. I followed a couple from Cooper Brook shelter to Jo-Mary road. She had wrote in the register it was her 40th birthday today, happy birthday. We chatted for a bit there and they gave me some more info about Baxter SP. A batch of nobo Boy Scouts stopped at the bridge for a break and I headed off again. The trail was really fast today, I was at the beach on Jo-Mary lake at 1Pm. I washed up and rinsed all of my clothes, made phone calls and headed for what was supposed to be the stop for the night, Potaywadjo Spring Lean To. There is the best spring there I have seen in a long time, clear and ice cold. I decided to head for White house Landing at 3:20. The trail was good except the blue blaze to the landing. It had a lot of unavoidable mud holes. But even with all of that I was on the dock at 4:30, 3.3 miles or maybe a bit more. I blew the horn and then washed my shoes and socks on the dock. Bill arived in the boat and I was at the bunkhouse before 5. Linda cooked up a great one pound burger, with chips, 2 sodas and 2 slices of pizza finished dinner. At the hostel is Faith, Old School, Will GRINCH, Mosey, and Juice. Crunch arrived at about 5:30 and was able to get dinner also. Shower was good and hot and I hung up some gear to dry. We all sat around the bunkhouse and talked until after 9Pm.
Date: 2012-07-06
From: Whitehouse Landing

To: Whitehouse Landing
Miles today: 0.0

Zero day at White House LandingA great breakfast was prepared by Bill this morning. 2 eggs, 4 strips of bacon, english muffin, coffee, juice, and pancakes. Juice, Old School, Grinch, and Mosey are heading out sobo today. Mosey went through his pack and cut out 7.5 lbs of stuff, now with 3 days food he is near 30 lbs. Juice, who has done quite a bit of hiking, weighed his complete pack with water and food and it was about 15 lbs. He is also a vegetarian and is using Chai seed in his water for extra nutrition. Faith is taking another zero and asked if I would look at his load as well. There really is no wrong way to do this hike, as we all do it our own way, but sometimes the weight takes some of the fun out of the trip so if it can be lowered it is better. Crunch and I are taking a zero day today. I guess we probably only have 2 days walk and one night to get to Abol bridge area. Arriving so far today, all sobo hikers, were Chris, who is staying over night along with Jersey Bob. Justin and Pawn stopped in for lunch also. Lunch was again a one pound burger. Which was again great. We have looked over the guide and have only 2 days walk to get to Abol camp, so re supply will be small. Now we are just watching the lake and thinking of taking a motor boat ride this evening.
Date: 2012-07-07
From: Whitehouse Landing

To: Rainbow Lake Campsite
Miles today: 19.1

White House Landing to Rainbow Lake Camp site 19.1 milesContinued from Whitehouse Landing. Two other sobo hikers came in last night just at dusk. Regina, who is a professor that teaches statistic analysis and Chris. They did not do the bunkhouse, so we did not see much of them until breakfast. Again a big breakfast, paid my bill, and Bill took Crunch, Faith, and myself to a closer trail landing at near 9Am. I walked through the mud this time in my crocs. After the mud there was a small ford so I got the mud washed off and put on my dry shoes and socks and hit the trail. The trail was again good but with a few more mud holes than before. I was able to avoid most all of them but it does take a bit more time. During the day I met 7 sobo hikers and passed one napping in his tent. Only one hiker I got a name for, Hannah, after talking to her I found a bug net on the trail so I gave it to the next sobo to carry on, I think it would be Hannah's, because she would have picked it up if another sobo had dropped it. I got water at the spring on the shore of lake Nahmakanta, it was ice cold and tasted good. More mud holes to navigate on the way to Rainbow Stream Lean To, but passed there around 5Pm. I stopped for a snack, 3 hikers were eating dinner in the shelter. All of the shelters are just trashed all along here. Cast off clothing, gear, trash bags full of food and stuff, and package tear off litter everywhere, sometimes even sleeping bags. Just as it is in Georgia for the first few. It seems starting out hikers or whoever uses them just doesn't care. It is also that way where day hikers or weekenders can get into the areas. I just can't stay near here so I will stealth camp a bit further on. I stopped near 6Pm on a small rise near a small lake. There is a light breeze and few bugs right now waiting for Crunch. He soon arrived and we headed on to the Rainbow lake camp site. It did not take very long to get there, but there were more mud holes to work around. When we got there all of the tent sites were full. Crunch made do with what was available and I went just down the trail about 50 feet and found a good spot to hang up my hammock. Someone has left a garbage bag here with a bunch of food in it. It will more than likely just attract critters to the camp rather than be eaten by hikers. That is one reason I went out of the camp site. There is also quite a bit of trash all around the place. There is a father, Diesel, and son, the kid, here that have hiked from Springer to here in 20 weeks. I would like to talk to them more, maybe tomorrow.
Date: 2012-07-08
From: Rainbow Lake Campsite

To: Abol Pines Campsite
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: broken clouds

Rainbow Lake Camp Site to Abol Pines Camp site. 11.1 Awoke to loons on the pond this morning. Quite a nice alarm clock. Out of camp about 6Am. A few more mud holes to navigate around, but I still have not seen the man eating mud hole I was told about by a sobo last week. There were a couple of rock fields also but not real long ones.There was a good view of Katahdin from Rainbow Ledges where I stopped for a short break. A small spring coming from right out of the hillside just north of Hurd Brook Lean To was a good spot to get a bit more water. Before I realized it I had come to the sign on the north end of the 100 mile wilderness. During the walk today I met 3 sobo hikers, Roxanne, Kyle and Melissa. All stopped to talk for a bit and had climbed Katahdin Friday. After a short road walk I was on the bridge over the west branch of the Penobscot River with a great view of Katahdin from the center and soon at Abol Bridge Camp store at about noon. Diesel and The Kid were there eating burgers and chips and sodas. Diesel just had a 50 birthday and The Kid is 12. Dad did a presentation to the school principal to get The Kid 6 months off. They are headed for the Birches yet today and will summit on Monday if all goes well. I ordered 2 cheese burgers and 2 sodas and ate them with The Kid and Diesel. After they left other sobo hikers came in. Paul had lunch and headed off to Hurd Brook, Swimmer was waiting for her dog to be dropped off and was going to Hurd Brook Lean to also. Wild Bill, who was a chef and later worked in restaurant food sales, is staying at the state run Pines campground as Crunch and I are. The cost here was quite a bit lower than Abol, but there is only a pit toilet. Mathra, a 62 year old lady is staying at Abol Campground but came over to visit and bring half a loaf of bread and PB and fluff.   We all talked for quite a while then I went back to the store for a turkey and pork sandwich and a soda for dinnerBill made a fire and we talked for a while, he is a pretty nice fellow, I hope his hike goes well. Crunch and I walked back to the store to get rid of trash and took a few more pictures. We then talked around the fire a bit more before heading to bed.
Date: 2012-07-09
From: Abol Pines Campsite

To: Katahdin Stream Campsite
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Abol Pines Camp site to Katahdin Stream Campground. 9.9 milesUp at the normal 5Am even though the store does not open until 7. For breakfast I had 2 egg and bacon biscuits, a scone, and a orange juice. We headed off at about 7:30. After a short walk I was at the Baxter State Park boundary. The walk was much as in the past for the first 5 miles or so. After0that the trail got a bit smoother and flatter. During the day I met at least 6 sobo hikers. A married couple, Seth and Erica, they were excited about their start, anxious of the unknown. We talked for a bit and they were comfortable with the thought "it's only walking". I assured them that everyone that hikes changes gear as they become better at it, and they will get lighter packs and stronger legs as time goes on. I arrived at Katahdin Stream camp at about noon. I sat and watched some of the hikers return. Diesel and The Kid got back and talked of the good time they had up on the mountain. They had left at about 3Am, but were back near noon. Crunch arrived at about 12;30. We just hung out, ate lunch. Set up camp at The Birches, on the tent platform, then just hung out some more.He ranger came back and we helped her unload a pile of wood and then got checked in officially. We ate dinner at camp and then walked back up the trail head to look about. The ranger gave us each a bundle of wood for helping, so we lugged them back to camp and now are having a pretty nice campfire.
Date: 2012-07-11
From: Mt Katahdin

To: Abbot, prep for trip home 
Miles today: 0.0

We took a road tour of Baxter State Park today and left by way of the north gate. We stopped in Millinocket at the AT Cafe for lunch and to sign the ceilimg tile. Back to the camper to dry gear and load up for the trip home. More later on thoughts of the trip.
Date: 2011-03-03
To: My first post
Miles today: 0.0

Hello. This is my first entry to Trail Journals and I thought I'd use it to announce my AT thru-hike. My plan is to thru-hike in 2012 and to be on the trail no later than St. Patrick's Day, 3/17/12. I'll be hiking NoBo and will be hiking alone. To be completely blunt and honest, there's a lot in my way that could interfere with this happening. The first is my house. I either need to sell it or save enough money to pay the mortgage while I'm gone. The second is my weight. I need to lose around 50 pounds or I'll never be able to handle the miles. The third is money. Aside from the mortgage payments, I need to raise enough cash to not have to go into debt while hiking. There's also other questions I need answers to: my job, gear, selling my possesions, where to live when I finish, and more. But with all those hurdles, this is something I'm uber excited about. My life has taken an unexpected turn this past year and the time has come to fulfill this dream. Thanks for reading.
Date: 2011-03-05
To: Lusk Lock Trail
Miles today: 0.0

As part of my committment to myself to, "Get out more", I've decided to spend every weekend in March hiking part of the Sandy Beaver Canal. Today's trip was to Lock 27, better known as Lusk Lock. It was pouring down rain, but the way I see it I'll be hiking through a lot of rain on the AT. So I jumped in the car and drove to the trailhead.The road back into the woods is bad enough, but the steep drop from the corn fields down to the parking area is way too rough for my small VW. I wasn't complaining though, because I need as much exercise as possible. So I parked at the top, walked down the hill, and headed onto the towpath. I walked to Lock 27 and then continued on to Lock 28 and 29. I spent 15 minutes at Lock 29, resting and reflecting on where my life is headed. When I'd cleared my mind, I turned around and walked back up the towpath and to my car. Tomorrow I think I'll hike from Lock 23 to Lock 26. It's a longer hike with the potential for wetter conditions so I may have to play those plans by ear. If we get the flooding they're calling for, I'll head to Lock's 15-7 instead. Despite my conditioning last year, I let myself get caught up in the emotions of my divorce and fell right back into the same habits I used to be trapped in. I'm clean of that now, and I've never felt better. Onward.
Date: 2011-03-23
To: My first trail gear purchases
Miles today: 0.0

I've made my first few purchases for the trail. I've had my backpack for a few years, but when Laura left she took everything I owned related to camping. So with a clean slate, I was free to buy what I wanted. My first buy was my tent. For years I've been a fan of REI's tents. And so has Backpacker magazine. Last year they granted the REI HalfDome a special honor and I decided their reviews were worth checking out. Last month I purchased a used HalfDome on EBay and my gear collection was started. Then, at the recommendation of my friend Jason, an '09 AT thru-hiker, I purchased a Thermarest Z-Lite. I've used it a couple times and I'm happy with my purchase. I think my next purchase will be my winter bag and then hiking poles. After that, a stove should round out the base of my gear. I figure buying clothes and boots should wait until I've lost more weight so I probably won't look into those until the fall. For now, I feel good about everything and I'm looking forward to giving all of it an overnight test. I think hiking from Gretchen's Lock in Sprucevale to the public camping ground in Beaver Creek State Park will be a great overnighter to try everything out. It's a 7 mile hike each way, which will also be a good test of my walking legs. I think mid-April will be a good time for that hike.
Date: 2011-03-28
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I just got done reading the trail journal of a guy who was supposed to be on the trail this week but injured his back. That injury pushed his thru-hike plans back to 2012. I have to say reading that frightens me a bit. I may have lost 30-40 pounds, I may be taking care of my diet, and I may be a generally healthy person, but the truth still is that I'm an inexperienced hiker and drastically out of shape. When Laura was still around, I always told her the only thing that would keep me from thru-hiking the trail was getting injured, and of course that wasn't going to happen. Now I'm not so sure. I really haven't prepared for this thing the right way, and goodness knows I'm not getting any younger. All that said, I'm still not daunted. I can totally do this. I would like to get to around 250 pounds before I go (around 45 more pounds to lose), and I would like to have a couple shakedown hikes under my belt. Neither one of those seem unattainable, but I must focus. No stupid activites, no excessive physical attempts, and no more thoughts of, "I still have time to get it together." That time is now and I need to think about that everyday.