morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-06-02
From: Home

To: Baxter State Park
Miles today: 0.0

We left the house late (typical). Marcia arrived when I was in the shower - I could hear her talking to Grandma. I tried to clean up stuff, but I mostly failed. At least I took out my garbage and scooped the litter boxes. Grandma wasn't going to hug me because she has a cold, but Marcia made her. I am glad.We left at 8:30 AM. I cried. I couldn't find my female cat, Matilda, to say good bye. Route 116 is closed, so we took a detour route to my fiance, Steven's, house. He wasn't ready either. Not too long of a wait and we were on our way. * * * * *It is raining. Rain. We are currently stopped for lunch in Wells, ME at Billy's Chowder House. Marcia/Grandma is(are?) treating us. Thanks!! The tide is going out.For mom: I had clam chowder with LOTS of butter in it. I then had a haddock sandwich. Steven ate the spill-over from my soup with a roll. Marcia had fried clams and scallops and Steven had fried whole belly clams. Marcia was narrating what others were getting. I told her she was turning into Grandma. Haha! I just teared up again over the cats. POOR STEVEN!!* * * * *At the campsite in Baxter State Park.I'm feeling very discouraged already. There was a misunderstanding about site reservations and the woman ranger we spoke to told us that we shouldn't worry if we don't reach Baxter Peak on Katahdin. She didn't seem to have much confidence in us.The mountin is huge, but I've hiked 4,000 ft elevation gain before. I know I can do this! I just wish others here thought so too. I have to go weed out my pack. We now have WAY too much food. Gah!
Date: 2012-06-04
From: Baxter Peak -> Kathadin Stream Campground

To: Hurd Brook Shelter
Miles today: 13.0

It poured all night, but I slept pretty well. I think Steven did too. I woke up in the middle of the night and my fleece pants were soaked! They were wet because Steven and I were brand new to hanging our food bag in trees. Our cord was wet and stretchy. Then the ranger Betsy came and tried to help. It worked... sort of. We got one bag up with her instruction and Steven's idea to use a trekking pole to push up the heavy bags. Since my rain gear had been soaked I didn't put it on and my shirt and pants got wet. I was miserable and shivering a lot. The cord was too long (100 ft) and it was getting all tangled and muddy and my face and hands were getting splashed. I hung my clothes up and since it was raining nothing dried. In fact, I think things became more wet. Nina told me that if you put your wet clothes inside your sleeping bag they will dry, so I did that. It worked! The problem is that my bag is down and I guess getting it wet is bad. doh!Steven woke up around 5:40 and I tried to stay asleep, but I failed. I got out of my sleeping bag around 6. We didn't get out of hte campsite until just after 8! Newbies!The sun came out, but it was CRAZY windy! I was glad I was not on Katahdin. Our hike was flat and I was glad for the "breaking in" period like that. We heard multiple loons and Daicey Pond and I was pretty excited about that. It was a beautiful day. It was forecasted as 100% rain, but we only had about one drop of rain. YAY!Around mile 7 my right leg started to cramp up. It stayed like that all the way to mile 13.2. I was pushing pretty hard after mile 9; I wanted to stealth camp. Steven pointed out that we didn't have a water source, so we kept on. Smart guy. Glad that we did. We met up with Andy and Jonathan (brothers 8 years apart), Juan, Sharon and Matt, and Audrey, a ridge runner. Matt proposed to Shannon on Katahdin! They made it to just past the point where Steven and I turned around. Oh, Shannon said "yes". Good thing! hahaSteven had his first face plant today. It actually looked pretty funny. he slipped on a boardwalk and his arms and legs were over the sides and his torso was on the board. Luckily it wasn't in a deep area or really high up. It could have been bad.It is getting dark... hopefully my leg won't cramp up tomorrow. I also hope Steven's knee is okay. At one point it was swelling up. I have a feeling that we may only hike 8 miles tomorrow - otherwise it will be 11. We'll see. We are sleeping 7 people in the lean-to: Hurd Brook Shelter. Hopefully we all sleep okay.Oh, our bear hanging was much more successful today. No embarrassments! I forgot to mention that I somehow busted my left index finger. It must have been on Katahdin. Actually both of my hands were swollen this morning. My right hand seems to be okay now.There are some interesting looking spiders in the privy AND when I opened the bucket to get wood shavings, there was a cute little mouse staring up at me. I doubt the mice and chipmunks and squirrels will remain "cute" on this adventure.
Date: 2012-06-05
From: Hurd Brook Shelter

To: Rainbow Spring Campsite
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I am writing this sitting by the campfire, listening to loons on the lake. We are at Rainbow Spring Campsite. We hiked 7.7 miles today, but I think that with yesterday's 13 we are doing just fine. It may take longer than anticipated to hike the 100 mile wilderness. We have seen so many beautiful understory flowers. White and pink lady slippers, some kind of tiny yellow lily, trillium, starflower, puffy white flowers, and a bunch more I don't know. We also saw really awesome moss and lichens. Some looked like big sheets of brown paper and other looked like mini trees.We left Hurd Brook Shelter around 8:30 and immediately had to cross Hurd Stream which was quite a challenge. We then had an incline up to Rainbow Ledges which had a nice view, but it was cloudy, so we didn't see much. Then it started to rain, but not hard... and, acutally, for not long. I was grateful because for some reason, the hike today was pretty muddy as it was. I had my first fall. I was glad that it was in the mud and not on rocks.We reached the campsite at about 3:30. We had stopped for lunch in an insanely mosquitoey place. We were both very grateful for our bug hats. They were flying around our heads and trying to get us and we won! Thank you, bug hats!Today we met Raymond and Straw Hat. Raymond only walked about a half mile today because he messed up his knee pretty badly. I'm glad that hasn't happened to either of us and I hope it won't. Especially here, in the 100 mile wilderness.We also met Alex, a recent high school graduate. He is hiking alone and has a spot detector. I don't think it was working. I am glad we didn't get one of those.Matt and Sharon are here too. Their steri-pen stopped working, so we let them use our filter. They couldn't figure out how to work it so Steven went down to help them. They don't have any back up system to filter their water. Yikes! Do we? The spring is frigid, but delicious!Steven has calculated that we have already completed 1.2% of the trail! WOW! At that rate it will take us until... February!! I know we'll speed up. Plus the initial 5.2 was really 10.4, but since we didn't summit, more like 7.4.Our dinner was gross. It is my fault because I didn't read the directions fully before packing it. It isn't just an add water meal. It is some kind of quinoa with garlic or something like that. It didn't cook all the way. Plus, Steven added the protein powder to his, but the sweet vanilla flavor is sick with the garlic flavor. Bluck! Good thing we had pudding to off-set then grossness.The no-see-ums are out tonight! Hopefully our tent screen will keep them out. I'm looking forward to a night with no mosquites flying into my ears and sleeping bag. I hate that!It is getting darker and Steven and I have bother requested back rubs. Hopefully we won't be eaten by slugs while we sleep. Slugs! Everywhere!
Date: 2012-06-06
From: Rainbow Spring Campsite

To: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Steven got up around 5:40... I got up at 6:30!! I was still tired, but I got up anyway. We left the campsite at 8:40. Slow us. Today we were aiming to reach Wadleigh Stream Lean-to, so I dedicated today's hike to Nikki and her family. We started walking down the trail and I got wet IMMEDIATELY by stepping into a mud puddle. Not hard to do as it seems most of the trail is a giant mud puddle or stream. I took off my shoes and tried to go barefoot. That didn't last for very long. There were little tiny stones under all that mud which hurt my soft feet. Oh well. I hiked in wet shoes. Again. I wonder if there will be a single day in Maine that I don't submerge my foot in water or mud.We made it to Rainbow Stream Lean-to by 11:30. I took a picture (attached) of Steven crossing the logs to get there. He hates crossing streams on logs. Soon after we got there I heard a cute chirping coming from the stream. It was a baby loon! It was being washed away downstream and had no control in the rushing current. I was so sad. It managed to get out of the water and it came over to me and then saw that I was there and ran away, crossed the stream to the other side and desperately chirped for its parents from there. We left because its little cries were breaking my heart. Just a little further down stream there were two more! I hope that they were found by mom and/or dad. Poor little loonlets (whatever they are called). The hike today was gorgeous. We walked next to several different streams, one time a dried up stream bed and two other streams on each side of us. Crescent lake was totally serene. Bullfrogs were singing and there were two people out there in a rowboat fishing. The view from Mt. Nesabunthunt (not the real name) was great. Everything is beautiful!That being said - everything with a heavy pack is harder! I have my first blister - from the wet socks, of course. I'll try to fix that in the morning. We hiked 11.9 miles today according to the data book. Tomorrow we're going for 10.1 ... Potaywadjo Spring. Let's hope we make it.We're still not quite too good at hanging our food. Luckily we haven't had any major problems yet. I suspect that we'll have squirrels in one of the bags in the morning. I hope not! Soooo tired. It is almost 10! Yikes! haha time is so different here. Grandma is probably watching NCIS. Goodnight everyone!I wonder how Grandma's cold is and how the kitties are. <3 I hope they aren't chirping looking desperately for me. They are probably sleeping and not caring much at all. Oh. We are starting to smell a little bit.
Date: 2012-06-08
From: Potaywadjo Spring Shelter

To: Copper Brook Falls Lean-to
Miles today: 11.4

TGIF!!! Oh, wait - that doesn't make much of a difference while hiking. Today mostly felt like a break, though. Steven and I flew through the first 3.5 miles! It was a smooth, flat walk to start. I am so grateful. We started off in the rain, but after a while the sun came out and the rest of the hike was gorgeous. We stopped at sand point and I saw something bizarre looking out on the water. We quickly figured out it was a moose's head! We finally saw a moose after passing so much moose poop! Hooray!Gandalf walked with us for about the last three miles. I was getting tired and slowed down a bit. We got to the shelter and I went to soak my feet in the water. It was cool and refreshing. Then I used the "full moon" privy (haha) and not too long after I got back, it started to rain.We are having our first thunderstorm of our trip. I am glad that we're in a lean-to for it. I'm staying nice and dry. Woo hoo! It is about 60 degrees Fahrenheit, so the rain would be quite cold.I have decided that Andy reminds me a little bit of my friend Jason. Andy's younger brother Jonathan is a recent college grad and quite energetic. Gandalf mentioned that Jonathan is high strung, so Jonathan agreed by saying that he "was a high strung kid." I said, "Was?" Big laugh from everyone. It has been raining for an hour now. I repeat: SO glad I'm in the lean-to.My armpits smell like onion rings.
Date: 2012-06-09
From: Copper Brook Falls Lean-to

To: Logan Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

I keep forgetting to write about my entertainment regarding the moose tracks. The moose definitely use the AT as a path themselves and their tracks are everywhere. We see far less deer poop and tracks than moose poop and tracks. The other amazing thing is how much work went (goes) into maintaining sections of this 100 mile wilderness. There are bog boards all over the place! I appreciate them - I think today will be the first time that I've come into the shelter with relatively dry feet! Huge score!Our first true river ford was today. It was narrow and rapid moving. I went further downstream from the official crossing point and crossed in slower moving water. Steven followed suit. We went really slow today, but still made 11.6 miles by about 4:30. The last 2 miles were all uphill. Tomorrow is all uphill and downhill. We hit 3 or 4 peaks tomorrow.I spoke with Straw Hat a little bit today. He is 67 years old and retired. I asked him if his family was worried that he was here and he said, "Yes." He stopped at the previous shelter, so I don't know if we'll see him again. Too bad. He is a nice guy.Today we met Guile (pronounced Gilly). He is from Brazil. He taught us a cool trick for our blisters. I had a wicked blister on my pinky toe. He said if you put a thread through it, the hole won't be open and the liquid will drain through the string. Then, when it starts to become hard, take out the string. Both Steven and I are trying it. My pinky toe still hurts, but hopefully it won't be so bad to walk on tomorrow. We put anti-bacterial stuff on it to make sure it doesn't get infected. It is amazing how dirty we are... and how much it doesn't bother me. It just is.We saw a lot of really fat toads today. I also have seen two salamanders. The first was when I was doing my leave-no-trace toothpaste thing that Audrey taught us. I'm pretty sure I spit toothpaste juice all over the salamander/lizard. I will be swallowing my toothpaste from now on. I also nearly stepped on one today. It was on a bog log. I moved it off the log. I'm not sure how much other people look where they step. I also saw my second snake today.We are at the Logan Brook Lean-to. It is COLD here. Higher elevation. Oh, we also walked through a mini fir forest. It was pretty neat.There is a guy here from Rhode Island, Pat. He is buddies with Tim, "the legend" (what I call him). They are pretty funny. It sounds like everyone here including Balroc (Jonathan) and Shadow (Andy) will be pressing on ahead of us tomorrow. I am not pushing myself to injury. We'll be doing just over 7 miles. Gosh, I hope I'm warm enough tonight. My nose is cold already!
Date: 2012-06-10
From: Logan Brook Lean-to

To: Carl Newhall Lean-to
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: broken clouds

Today has not been my favorite day. I had a feeling it wouldn't be, but I tried to think of all the good things around me. It was sunny, the birds were chirping, it was in the high 60s. I had tea this morning. There were beautiful views of the distant mountains and the nearby butterflies.We hit four peaks today. The first of which was definitely the hardest and most rewarding. White Cap Mountain at 3,650 feet - our highest peak since Katahdin. Then came the far easier Hay Mountain and West Peak and finally, after our lunch stop in black fly haven (aka Sidney Tappan Campsite), Gulf Hagas Mountain. The descent from GHM was awful. My feet hurt so bad. Our Sunday was certainly not the day of rest it could have been.All in all, it was a good, but tough day. I even made it to the shelter with totally dry feet - and I put on dry shoes this morning! Hooray! There were four guys section hiking at the lean-to and also a girl named Charlotte. Steven didn't want to sleep in the lean-to, so we went searching for tent sites. They are across the river. Guess what. My shoes slipped on the slanted and wet rock and both feet went right in the water. I said, "I just want one day." I sat on the rock, letting the icy waters of despair rush over my feet trying not to cry. I failed. I cried because I was tired, because my feet hurt, because I have to put on wet shoes in the morning.I walked around barefoot for a bit and the thread for my blisters got gross and was dragging ground debris around. I washed my feet off in the water after setting up the tent. Inside my pinky toe blister it looks gross. I'm not cutting it open because I know how much that hurts. We'll see what happens.I am now lying down in the screened in safe haven of a tent surrounded by birches casting dapples of sunlight over everything and a thrush is singing a lovely tune. Maybe it is a veery. The attack of bugs has been stopped by the tent screen. Thank God. Black flies are bastards. There are so many of them trying to get in that they sound like rain on the tent fly.My left index finger got better, but now it is swollen and in pain again. My poor body is tired. That is what happens from sitting in an office chair for 7 years.We played our recorders for the first time this evening. I wasn't too bad.
Date: 2012-06-11
From: Carl Newhall Lean-to

To: East Chairback Pond
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Steven, after nine days in the woods, is no longer a virgin. After privy upon privy, he has been able to avoid the squat position until today. Congratulations, Steven!It is now just after 7:00 PM. We are sitting on the shore of Chairback Pond - the epitome of serene Maine. A secluded pond, breezy with small waves lapping at the rocks on the edge, surrounded by fir trees. The wind blows and the trees whisper their secrets. Frogs croak nearby and from across the pond. A family of birds takes wing to find food. A single loon fishes in the water. It truly feels like the wilderness. At sunset, a deer, our first since starting our hike, drinks from across the pond.We hiked about 12.6 miles today. Some of that was without our packs, though. We hiked the Gulf Hagas Trail. It was beautifully spectacular. Unfortunately, my feet hurt so bad that I couldn't enjoy its full splendor. We also forded a wide river. Thankfully it was shallow. The ford was easy.My feet just ache. I don't want to get behind schedule, but I fear we may have to only hike a few miles tomorrow. We're already about 3 miles and one day behind schedule as it is... the one day because we weren't ready. I was so grateful for that extra day that maybe I should give myself another. I don't know. I hate ruining a schedule. Steven seems to be perfectly fine. I feel like a wimpy wuss.We are covered in black fly bites. Bloody and blistered. It is one thing to know hiking is hard, but feeling it is a totally different monster.We are 3.9% finished with the trail.
Date: 2012-06-12
From: East Chairback Pond

To: Cloud Pond Shelter
Miles today: 9.5

After sitting by the pond shore for about an hour this morning, I finally built up the courage to swim with Steven. It was COLD! The sun is out, though, and I feel refreshed. Rinsing off days of sweat and grime sure feels great! Too bad we have to put back on our nasty clothes.Holy crap! It just took us 10 hours to hike 10 miles. I feel wrecked. We hiked up Chairback Mountain with its shocking boulder climb. Up top we met three guys from Michigan - Ducky, Roach, and Sad Fish. Roach was hiking in crocks - crazy! They hike pretty fast. Then we went up Third Mountain where we had CELL PHONE RECEPTION!??!! I called Grandma and Andrea and left a message for mom. Steven called his parents.Black flies are basically eating us alive. Steven says my neck is all bloody. I tried to wash it. Steven looks like he has chicken pox. It is awful.So, here we are at Cloud Pond Shelter. The three guys we met on Chairback are here and Straw Hat! He is sleeping, though. There are other people at this site camping. A couple and a blonde guy - I can't remember his name, but he seems to be friends with these three guys from Michigan.There are peepers and other frogs singing. The wind in the trees sounds like waves in the ocean. Hopefully with these soothing sounds I will sleep well.
Date: 2012-06-13
From: Cloud Pond Shelter

To: Long Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 4.4
Weather: moderate rain

FAIL DAYIt was raining when we woke up. Boo!! We hiked a whole 4.4 miles today. Woo. That being said, I blame my rain gear's failure and my fear of falling on wet rock. Straw Hat went on ahead of us. I feel like such a wuss. Steven is not happy.We'll bang out a 12 tomorrow after this day of rest and hopefully my body will have recovered a little bit by then.There is a group of four kids, siblings and best friends ranging from about 18 to 22. They are funny. They brought lots of canned food, a regular kitchen pot to cook in, Sternos for heat, cotton sweatshirts (that are soaked), and they didn't pack their stuff well and have wet sleeping bags. They aren't hiking as fast as they thought they could or would want. They have been on the phone and using our data book to figure out how far they will hike and where they'll arrange for their dad to pick them up. They told him "Chairback Mountain". I question this possibility (silently), but they assure the dad that there is a place.We have played cards and will soon read.
Date: 2012-06-14
From: Long Pond Lean-to

To: Leeman Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: clear sky

Last night, around 8:30 or 9:00, just as we were all falling asleep someone came to the shelter. It was our first NOBO! "Roarchach". He was loud, full of information, and a combo of talkative and rude. He had a very bright flashlight that he was shining around in the shelter when we were trying to sleep and he basically smoked a cigarette right inside the shelter. It was still pretty exciting to meet him. Steven said that this morning, Roarchach got up, walked about two feet to the side of the shelter, and peed. Holy cow! I don't know that we'll ever get that ... bold.I also spoke with my mom yesterday for about a half hour. She said that I broke Hansel's heart (my cat) by leaving. That made me VERY sad. My Hansel!!Today we hiked 12.1 miles we think. I keep getting more tired by the day, it seems. It is like my body is rejecting hiking. After about 10 miles, I laid face down on a rock and cried. The weight of my pack was crushing my glasses, so I didn't stay for very long. It sucks when it seems like everyone is getting stronger and I'm getting weaker. I am holding Steven back and I think he is getting frustrated.Tonight we're at the Leeman Brook Shelter with Brent (the guy whose name I couldn't remember the other day). I think he is going to be called "Stealth" from now on. He started a nice fire. Also three other people showed up. Eric, Eden, and Julia. Julia is from Canada and is quite tall and her knees are bothering her. It was nice to talk to someone who is also in pain - it makes me feel not so bad for complaining because she is saying the same things as me. They all seem very nice. They also already knew Stealth and are all friendly with each other. It is nice to see.
Date: 2012-06-15
From: Leeman Brook Lean-to

To: Monson, ME
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: clear sky

We are currently sitting at Shaw's Hostel in Monson, ME! We have finished the 100 mile wilderness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We survived!I now have a new rain coat - Under Armor. Hopefully this one will work (unlike my GoLite).This morning when I woke up, I felt sick. I had diarrhea and then felt like I was going to barf. I knew I still had to eat breakfast and I probably hadn't had enough the day before, so I ate more than usual. We left around 7:30. I had diarrhea twice more on the trail and I kept burping and thought I might puke. It took us 2.5 hours to get to Rt. 15 in Monson - about 3 miles. So, I am hoping that me feeling weaker is because I caught some kind of bug. Either that or my body's reaction to black flies is really bad.Right now we are talking to "Viking" and he is giving us advice about hiking in the Whites. He also says Grayson Highlands in VA was beautiful. They also had snow there last week (the Whites, not Virginia). He says to stay at Lonesome Lake, the last hut that we'll see in the Whites.We ate a pizza for lunch at the gas station. I am still full five hours later. I got a Chobani for dinner. I am excited for yogurt!Still not sure how I'm feeling about hiking tomorrow. I think I should slack a few miles and then stay here again - perhaps in a tent - it is cheaper.