morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-08-10
From: Baldpate Shelter

To: Andover, ME (Pine Ellis Hostel)
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: few clouds

The trail seems to be getting a little busier of late. I'm seeing more and more SOBSs and lots of NOBOs are pouring on the coal to get to Katahdin. Feels a little strange having so many NOBOs (some of which I'd met and some I hadn't) pass me by. But that's OK...I think they're secretly jealous that I have so much time to lolly-gag along the trail. My oldest daughter, Stacy, just got her plane tickets to fly to Maine. We are going to rendezvous in Monson on 26 Aug and she is going to hike the last 114.5 miles to Katahdin with me. I'm very excited about that. I can really take my time getting to Monson and still have time to relax when I get there until Stacy arrives. It is a pretty nice situation to be in. It seems like more and more of the NOBOs I am meeting are just plain tired and ready to get this adventure done. I'm tiring mostly of "trail life" but not necessarily the hiking. If I could hike from town to town the rest of the way to Monson I'd be a happy man. The trail food, sleeping outdoors, lack of showers and other comforts of home, getting out of a warm sleeping bag on a cold morning, being able to turn a handle and get drinkable water...all that stuff makes me long for town (or home) more and more each day. As it is, I plan to maximize hostel stays and minimize nights on the trail from this point to Monson. Not much I can do about the 100-mile wilderness, but then again, I'll have Stacy with me and I'll be wanting her to experience trail life anyhow. I had some really great views today. Early in the day there was fog in all the valleys and from on high it looked like there were endless lakes of clouds as far as the eye oculd see. Pretty cool. There was some pretty tough hikibg again today. I hit Moody Mtn in the afternoon, after about 15 miles of hiking, and it was one of the steepest I've seen in a while. It rose over 1,300 feet in under a mile, and the last 2/10 was fairly gentle, so most of that elevation gail was in 3/4 of a mile. Pretty tough stuff, especially at the end of an 18+ mile day. I got to South Arm Road early and was setting by Black Brook waiting for my ride into Andover, and I kept hearing splashing coming from up the stream. When I checked it out I saw a large female moose eating out in the middle of the stream. Fortunately I had time to get my camera and get a few good shots of her. My ride to Andover came right on time and I got to the hiker hostel and made myself at home. A great ending to a great day! Cheers¢¦357 Magnumpics added 8/19...
Date: 2007-08-11
From: Andover, ME (Pine Ellis Hostel)

To: Maine Hwy 17 (Pine Ellis Hostel)
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: broken clouds

Remember what I said about maximizing my stays at hostels vs staying on the trail? Well I hiked over 13 miles today but had Dave, from the Pine Ellis Hostel, pick me up at Maine Hwy 17 and take me back to his hostel for another night. He'll take me back to Maine Hwy 17 in the morning to continue my hiking from there. Fit into my plan perfectly! I ate breakfast at a diner in Andover, hit the trail a few minutes before 9, and was back in town in time for supper at the same diner. Now that's a reasonable trail life for me. My hike started by going up Old Blue...a 2,200 foot gain in under 3 miles, but it didn't seem bad at all. I have so much more energy coming out of a town, where I was well fed, than when I'm subsisting out of my backpack for a few days in a row. Another really nice day is done. Cheers¢¦357 Magnumpics added 8/19...
Date: 2007-08-12
From: Maine Hwy 17 (Pine Ellis Hostel)

To: Maine Hwy 4 (Gull Pond Lodge)
Miles today: 13.1

Hey...I'm really liking this! Dave dropped me off at Maine 17, I hiked a little over 13 miles and got picked up at Maine Hwy 4 to go to another hostel in Rangeley. There weren't any long, steep ascents or descents today. As a result I hiked a little over 13 miles in about 5 hours without even trying to hike fast. I really think it has a lot to do with being well fed and full of energy. I talked to Stacy when I got to the hostel and she said she had bought the last few pieces of gear she needed for the hike from Monson to Katahdin. I think she's getting almost as excited about this hike as I am. Turns out Rangeley is a pretty nice place to spend some time, so I decided I'd zero here tomorrow. It is pretty busy this time of year with vacationers, but that's part of the fun for me...gives me lots of opportunity to do some people-watching (another pastime of mine). I could really get used to this hostel-hopping life. Cheers¢¦357 Magnum
Date: 2007-08-13
From: Maine Hwy 4 (Gull Pond Lodge)

To: Maine Hwy 4 (Gull Pond Lodge)
Miles today: 0.0

Great zero day in Rangeley. Had a good continental breakfast at the hostel, then caught a ride in to town to get some good coffee at a diner as I read the paper and watched the news. I bummed around this small town for many hours. I wound up getting my hair trimmed in a local lady's kitchen for 5 bucks. I also retired my blue swim trunks I had been hiking in and bought a new pair of real hiking shorts. I can't believe that a size 32 is fitting me loosely. I was wearing 38s when I started the trail. Feels good to have lost that weight and still be able to eat like a maniac....but I am a little worried about the transition back from trail eating to "normal life" eating. I'll have to do something right away or I'll baloon up more quickly than it took me to lose it all. I had a really enjoyable zero in Rangeley...tomorrow it is time to head north again. Cheers¢¦357 Magnum
Date: 2007-08-14
From: Maine Hwy 4 (Gull Pond Lodge)

To: Sugarloaf Mtn
Miles today: 21.6

Well, I planned on doing 10.7 miles today and 10.9 tomorrow, but wound up doing the whole 21.6 all in one day. And I didn't start until about 9 this morning. I'm telling you...it is all the food I'm getting to eat in these towns...I like it! Milestones for the day were completing over 90% of the trail just a few miles after I started and having less than 200 miles to go by the time I finished the day. Wow...it is getting closer. I stayed in an abandoned ski lodge on top of sugarloaf mountain. It was pretty nice because they still had electric on and had a microwave, toaster, toaster oven and a hot plate set up for hikers to use. The weather was awesome today and the views were something else up on the saddlebacks. There are so many great pond and lake scenes up here in Maine. I don't think I'd ever get tired of those. I really enjoyed my day. I fixed a Lipton Pasta side and added a packet of tuna to it for supper. I also had two toasted english muffins with peanut butter on them and a large cup of hot chocolate. Not bad for being on the trail, but still not quite like being in a town. Cheers¢¦357 Magnumpics added 8/19...
Date: 2007-08-15
From: Sugarloaf Mtn

To: Maine Hwy 27 (Stratton Hostel)
Miles today: 10.6

It got really windy, cold and rainy last night. I got up, had breakfast, packed up and was on the trail by 7 this morning. I started with my rain suit on, but took it off pretty quickly because I was getting too hot in it. With the wind, rain, cold, rocks and elevation changes today it was a relatively hard hike. Still, I got to Maine Hwy 27 at about noon and called the local hostel owner, Sue. She was on a run to Portland and couldn't come get me so I started hitching as I walked toward town. I got picked up after about a mile of walking...which was good because town was 5 miles away. Stratton is another small Maine town and a fun place to rest in a hiker hostel. I decided to zero here tomorrow and try to get my journal up to date. Granddaddy Longlegs and Vista Jim are here and offered Batman and I a ride to town with them when they went to supper. Of course we said yes. We got a good meal and as a bonus, on the way back to the hostel we got to see a momma moose and her calf meander across the road right in front of us. They are some big animals but beautiful to see! Cheers¢¦357 Magnumpics added 8/19...
Date: 2007-08-17
From: Maine Hwy 27 (Stratton Hostel)

To: West Carry Pond Shelter
Miles today: 22.6

The big milestone for the day is that I have completed over 2,000 miles of the AT! Plus...the Bigelows are considered the last big mountain range. There are a few more peaks (including Katahdin) but the most difficult is definitely behind us. I had perfect weather for my time in the Bigelows...I can't believe how blessed I have been with the weather. I'm still surprised at how many lakes and ponds there are up here in Maine (at least this part). The views are quite spectacular. We had a hard rain once I got to the shelter...there was even some hail mixed in...and it cooled things down quite a bit. But...I was safe and sound in my shelter when it hit. I also heard loons calling from West Carry Pond during the evening hours...that was a first for me. Pretty neat!
Date: 2007-08-18
From: West Carry Pond Shelter

To: Caratunk, ME (Northern Outdoor Resort)
Miles today: 14.0

That rain sure cooled things down last night...I didn't want to get out of my sleeping bag this morning. It was so cool I decided to hike in my rain suit. The hiking was very easy today. I got to the Kennebec River at about Noon and waited about 2 hours for the ferry to start running again. Diesel and I crossed together then hitched to the Northern Outdoor Center (about 2 miles away). I got a cabin tent for two nights...decided to zero here for a day). I'll still get to Monson with almost a week to kill until Stacy gets in. Not that I mind...I'll use the time to get to know the area a little better and get a better plan together for when Kim comes up to pick the two of us up in a few weeks. Getting close.........
Date: 2007-08-19
From: Caratunk, ME (Northern Outdoor Resort)

To: Caratunk, ME (Northern Outdoor Resort)
Miles today: 0.0

Cool again last night...glad I was in an enclosed tent. I had an AYCE breakfast buffet at the lodge and made use of their internet computer to get my journal updated. Ben, Amanda, Trashbag, Rodeo Clown, Rockman and Batman all showed up at about Noon. All-in-all it was another great zero day. Cheers...357 MagnumPics added today from as far back as 8/7/07
Date: 2007-08-20
From: Caratunk, ME (Northern Outdoor Resort)

To: Horseshoe Canyon Shelter
Miles today: 27.7
Weather: broken clouds

Big mileage day, but great terrain most of the day. And the weather was perfect for it once again. I got to my shelter at about 6 PM, gathered water, cooked supper and hit the sack...I was tired. I had the shelter all to myself too (except for the mice). Cheers...357 Magnum
Date: 2007-08-21
From: Horseshoe Canyon Shelter

To: Monson, ME (Shaw's)
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Easy hiking day. Encountered trail magic along the way. Got a cold coke and an apple from a cooler beside the trail. Thanks again trail angel!!! Going to zero here tomorrow, then rent a car and go visit Tim and Layne (old Navy friends of my brother Randy and his wife Laurie). Sorry for the brief entries, but I've got a lot to get done to arrange for a ride to the rental agency and back to here once I pick up Stacy. More later! Cheers...357 Magnum
Date: 2007-08-22
From: Monson, ME (Shaw's)

To: Monson, ME (Shaw's)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Made all my arrangements to get my daughter, Stacy, from Portland on Sunday. I'll pick up a rental car in Dexter tomorrow then drive to Winter Harbor to spend a few days with friends. I'll pick Stacy up Sunday afternoon, then return the car to Dexter. Someone from Shaw's will pick me up there. Stacy and I will spend the night at Shaw's in Monson, then have a good breakfast and hit the trail Monday morning. Cheers...357 Magnum
Date: 2007-08-24
From: Winter Harbor, ME (Tim and Layne's)

To: Winter Harbor, ME (Tim and Layne's)
Miles today: 0.0

Another enjoyable zero today. It also started raining last night and is overcast and wet today. A great time to be off the trail. We did some sight-seeing around Winter Harbor today, but couldn't see a lot of the best stuff because of heavy fog. We're planning on going to a Folk Festival in Bangor tomorrow...should be a lot of fun. Cheers...357 Magnum
Date: 2007-08-25
From: Winter Harbor, ME (Tim and Layne's)

To: Winter Harbor, ME (Tim and Layne's)
Miles today: 0.0

Another great zero with Tim and Layne. They took me to a folk music festival in Bangor today. I had a great time. I'm excited about picking Stacy up at the Portland airport tomorrow and heading back to Shaw's in Monson. Then...Monday morning...we head out for the final stretch together. Wow...it doesn't seem possible...but it is getting close and I'm really looking forward to popping that cork on Katahdin with Stacy and Kim...Cheers...357 Magnum
Date: 2007-08-26
From: Winter Harbor, ME (Tim and Layne's)

To: Shaw's (Monson, ME)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I left Tim and Layne's place this morning and headed for Portland. I picked Stacy up at the airport without incident...right on time. We got a bite to eat (and I got a Starbucks) in the mall, then we headed for Dexter to return the rental car. Sue, from Shaw's, showed up in Dexter right on time to shuttle us back up to Monson. Stacy and I got settled in at Shaw's, rearranged our packs a little, then hit the sack to try to get a good night's sleep before the big day to follow. I was quite excited to have Stacy with me and to be right on the eve of launching into the final push to Katahdin. The weather forecast is great for the next few days as well...Cheers...357 MagnumPics to follow...
Date: 2007-08-27
From: Shaw's (Monson, ME)

To: Wilson Valley Lean-to
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

Here we go! Stacy and I got up and had the famous Shaw's AYCE breakfast. You order breakfast by giving a number, say 3, and saying how you want your eggs cooked (e.g. scrambled). If you say 3 over easy, for instance, you will get 3 over easy eggs, 3 pieces of bacon, 3 pieces of sausage, 3 pancakes, and a huge pile of fried potatoes with coffee and juice. Stacy had 2 of everything, but I had to help her finish her pancakes...not that I minded. We got to the trailhead at about 8 and were hiking soon after. I was so excited that this all worked out and she was able to come hike the 100-mile wilderness with me. I feel really blessed that I get to spend this time with her. The weather today(and the 5-day forecast) were both great! We got into some pretty rocky and rooty terrain pretty quickly, but Stacy did 10.4 miles like a pro. We had some beautiful scenery today, seeing lots of waterfalls, vistas and lush trails. We also forded our first stream (Big Wilson) without incident today. When we got to the Wilson Valley Lean-to we decided we'd sleep in the shelter instead of pitching the tent. We met another guy (Derrick) out for his first day of hiking. He looked like his first day on the trail was a lot harder on him than Stacy's was on her. Supper never tastes as good as it does on the trail after a hard day of hiking. Since resupply is so limited in the 100-mile wilderness I loaded up with enough Mountain House dehydrated meals to get us through to the end. We'll resupply on other items at Whitehouse Landing. We had a great first day on the trail and were ready for bed soon after dark. Cheers...357 Magnum
Date: 2007-08-28
From: Wilson Valley Lean-to

To: Cloud Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: scattered clouds

We both woke up fairly early and I got the stove going for coffee and tea right away. Stacy didn't sleep real well on her first night in a shelter. Derrick, our shelter mate, tossed and turned quite a bit in the night. He didn't have a sleeping pad, so every move made the wooden floor of the shelter shake. It didn't bother me because I am so used to sleeping in those conditions, but Stacy kept waking up throughout the night. I suspect she'll be less likely to wake up to noises and other interruptions tonight. We had another stream to ford today, but it wasn't without incident. We decided to step from rock to rock across the stream instead of taking our shoes off and wading across. I made it across OK and was watching Stacy come across. She stepped on one rock with a rounded top, brought her other foot forward and had both feet on it, when all of a sudden both feet slipped off on opposite sides of the rock and there she was, ankle deep in water, straddling that rock and looking at me like "what just happened?"... It was tough, but I was able to refrain from laughing, even though she did get this sly little grin on her face. She decided not to change socks because they'd be wet from her shoes in no time, so we hiked on. We saw lots more beautiful country today, waterfalls, lush forest, lake views and other vistas (especially from Barren Ledges). We also encountered our first trail magic today. Someone had put a cooler of beer by the trail, but we left it for someone else. Too bad all the sodas were already gone! We took a nice lunch break at about Noon and soaked our feet in a beautiful stream. We knew we had a really steep climb ahead of us up to Barren Ledges. It took us a while, but we made it with time to spare. When we got to Cloud Pond Lean-to, Marked and Highlife were alredy there. I had met Marked a long time back (early NH I think), but had never met Highlife. Stacy and I decided we'd tent in the hopes we'd sleep better in the tent than the shelter. Marked and Highlife built a nice fire and invited us to come up and enjoy it. Stacy brought her wet shoes and socks and was able to get them a little dryer by the fire. When we went back to the tent for the night we kept hearing a banging noise coming from the shelter. We found out later there were a lot of mice up there and the guys were trying to whack them with their shoes. Glad we decided to tent! We had a beautiful spot too, right beside of Cloud Pond. Cheers...357 Magnum
Date: 2007-08-31
From: Carl Newhall Lean-to

To: East Branch Lean-to
Miles today: 10.8

The good news is that it stopped raining by morning. We got up and dried the tent off as best we could and got packed up. Stacy got her first taste of donning cold, wet hiking clothes on cool late-summer morning. She didn¢t care for the experience too much, but handled it like a pro. It was cool, wet and foggy for most of the morning, obscuring what would otherwise have been some very nice views. It did finally start to clear up about the time we reached the top of Whitecap Mountain, and we got some nice views from there. It just kept getting nicer the rest of the day and you could tell we were in for some great, low-humidity, post-storm weather for the next few days. We also came across some trail magic during the afternoon. I had just mentioned to Stacy that my mid-afternoon appetite was starting to kick in when we crossed a gravel road and saw a sack hanging in a tree. Someone had baked cupcakes and breads and left them out there for long-distance hikers. Stacy had a piece of spice bread and I had a yellow cupcake with chocolate icing. Man that was good! Thanks again to the angel who left that for us. We finished our 11 mile hike and decided to sleep in the shelter instead of dealing with our soaking wet tent tonight. It wasn¢t late when we got to the shelter, but we didn¢t have a lot of sunlight left to get the tent dried out well. There was a family of three in the shelter, a mother, daughter and son. We joined them in the shelter and had a great time talking with them that night (and over the next few days). The kids from Colby College showed up right after we did and they pitched their tents just down the hill from us. I talked with several of them for quite a while about my thru-hike experience. They were very interested and had lots of questions. Several of them expressed an interest in doing it some day. That night their stove failed¢¦developed a crack large enough to prevent it from building up pressure¢¦so I loaned them our Whisper-lite to cook with. They were all very grateful.
Date: 2007-09-01
From: East Branch Lean-to

To: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: few clouds

Wow¢¦it is September! Stacy and I had hot coffee/tea then loaned our stove again while we packed everything else up. We had some very nice trails today with some great things to see¢¦lush greenery, beaver dams, leaves changing colors, etc. Stacy¢s ankles were still bothering her pretty badly so we tried making some pads to prevent the boots from aggravating the ankles. We had some success, but not 100% success. We got to our shelter pretty early and got stuff out to dry. It was a beautiful camping area near a stream with a cascading waterfall. The kids from Colby College showed up a couple of hours after we did and they decided to sleep under the stars on their last night on the trail. They were hiking to a road crossing the next morning where they had cars waiting. They used our stove one last time and thanked us by giving us hot chocolate, Hershey bars and Coleman fuel for our stove, among other things. They were a great bunch and we enjoyed getting to spend some time with them. They all went swimming in the stream¢¦it was a little too chilly for Stacy and I. Cheers...357 Magnum
Date: 2007-09-02
From: Cooper Brook Falls Lean-to

To: White House Landing
Miles today: 13.8

We got up knowing we had a big day ahead of us, but also knowing we had a reward awaiting us at the end of the day. While we were only going 13.8 ¢trail¢ miles today we were actually hiking over 15 miles once you added in all the ¢off-trail¢ hiking to get to our final destination¢¦Whitehouse Landing. What kept us going was that we knew we had good food, showers and a bed waiting for us at the other end. We got our first really good view of Mt Katahdin from Pemadumcook Lake today, even though we were still a good 50 trail miles away from it. Toward the end of the day Stacy was obviously pretty uncomfortable and running out of steam. I think she was in more pain from her ankles than she was letting me know about. Still¢¦we ¢limped¢ on in to Whitehouse Landing. We hiked down to the lake¢s edge where the owner of Whitehouse Landing leaves an air horn by a boat dock. We gave one short blast on the air horn and pretty soon saw movement on the other side of the lake. Within a few minutes a motorboat was speeding across the lake to pick us up and deliver us to Whitehouse Landing. When we got there we were greeted by Judo. We got a room, unpacked and headed for the showers. We had just enough time to get cleaned up before suppertime. Stacy and I ordered a 1-pound cheeseburger and a 14-inch pizza to split, plus we got a pint of Ben and Jerry¢s Cinnamon Bun Ice Cream to split for dessert. While they were fixing our supper, we shopped for supplies for the rest of the trip through the 100-mile wilderness. We had a great evening and were very grateful to be off the trail, living in luxury again, if only for one night. After supper we hand-washed some of our clothes and got all of our wet stuff out to dry. We ended a great day with a beautiful sunset (see the pic). Cheers¢¦357 Magnum