morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-10-02
From: Maher Trail, Maher Tote Road

To: Crescent Pond
Miles today: 13.9

Hey. Rainy day. I rode the boat back to the trail in the rain. I hiked in the rain. I ate in the rain. I did lots of stuff in the rain. Then it stopped. Life is good. I had hoped to make it to Rainbow Stream Lean-To, but got such a late start from the hostel (After eating a wonderful breakfast), that I ran out of daylight. It is truly amazing how early it gets dark. We used to be able to hike until 9:30, now it is 6:30. Found a stealth site near Crescent Pond around 5:00. I was greatful to see it - I was afraid I was going to have to night hike. I am not much of a night hiker - I trip and stumble enough without the added burden of using a headlamp.Troutbum
Date: 2008-10-03
From: Crescent Pond

To: Hurd Brook Lean-To
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: light rain

Hey. It is weird. As I get closer to the end, I have lots of emotions. I am looking forward to not hiking anymore, and I am sad to know I won't be hiking anymore. My feet will be happy to be done, but I don't want the ride to end. I am not looking forward to reality. But what is reality? The trail has been my reality for all these months. The real world will never be the same for me. I cannot imagine going back to my old life - Mr. Super Couch-Potato. I will make changes in my life, and I have a rough outline of what I want to do, but nothing is set in stone. I do not have a clear idea of where I will be in a year, but it will be different from what I have done in the past. I am looking forward to the future, but want to savor every moment I have left on the trail.Oops - went off on the philosophy tangent I swore I would not go off on. Oh well. Oh yea - I hiked today. I did not see any other hikers, except for some southbounders. I made it to the shelter and slept in my first baseball bat shelter. The floor of the shelter was made of round logs, not flat boards. Fortunately I had my Big Agnes air mattress, and it was no problem.
Date: 2008-10-04
From: Hurd Brook Lean-To

To: Katahdin Stream Campground
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Hey. Hard to believe this was my next to last day on the trail. My buddy Pat, the guy who drove me to Springer Mountain, was to meet me at 3:00 at the campground. I checked in with the ridge-runner at 10:40, and headed into Baxter State Park. Took longer than I thought it would - feet were killing me. Made it to Abol Bridge and ate a sandwich and drank some Coke. I headed out, and was running (walking) late. About 3:30, Pat met me on the trail about a mile from the campground. It was pretty cool. We walked (OK - he walked, I hobbled) the rest of the way. He informed me the trail up Katahdin was closed due to snow, and would probably be closed the following day. Wow - I did not expect that. I had seen clouds on top of the mountain that day, so I could not see the snow. I checked in with a ranger in the park, and was informed that I was number 398 to register. We drove slowly to Millinocket and got beds for the night at the wonderful A.T. Lodge. Paul and Jaime were wonderful. Paul got a call from the head ranger everyday as to the status of the trails in the park.I ran into many people that I knew, and many others that I did not. We all had the same goal, to summit Katahdin. Some were on tight schedules, and had to leave before the mountain opened. Some talked about stealth hiking to the top, but fortunately that did not happen. I believe the fine is $500.00 for hiking when the trails are closed. The best part was hearing that my mentor Uncle Tom was in town and looking for me. We finally hooked up and the three of us went to dinner and caught up. We made plans to hook up later at his house in Maine. Went to bed late knowing that I did not have to get up at the crack of dawn. Living large.Troutbum
Date: 2008-10-05
From: Millinocket

To: Millinocket
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Hey. With no plans for hiking, we decided to drive to Bangor and see a movie. Did some shopping, and drove back. Nice to be off the feet. I am walking like an old man when I get out of the car. Oh wait - I am an old man. Oh well. Found out the trail was closed for at least the following day, so Pat and I made plans to move camp to Acadia National park, on the seashore.Troutbum
Date: 2008-10-06
From: Millinocket

To: Millinocket
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Hey. Drove to Adacia National Park, with the assurance the mountain would most likely not be open the following day. We got a campsite and drove to Bar Harbor (or as they say up here - Bah Hahbah). Got to see a couple of enormous cruise ships and see a zillion passengers. Acadia is a beautiful park. The land that the park is on is half park, half not park. In other words, you are constantly entering and leaving the park lands and then encountering private homes. Still, the ocean and bay sights are so incredible, you don't care. The park also has lots of beautiful lakes and ponds. The coolest part is the color of the leaves. The palate of colors was truly amazing - red, yellow, orange and green.Pat grilled up some steaks for dinner - great ending to a great day.Troutbum
Date: 2008-10-07
From: Millinocket

To: Millinocket
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Hey. Another beautiful blue sky day in Acadia. Pat and I decided to hike up Cadilac Mountain. It reminded me a lot of the AT. The top was kinda like Mt Washington - lots of cars and people complaining about having to go up a couple of steps. Oh well. Had a great day and found out Mt Katahdin was open. That meant I had to get some sleep and head out early in the morning.Troutbum
Date: 2008-10-08
From: Baxter State Park

To: Mt. Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: clear sky

Hey everybody! Just a short note to let you know that I am DONE! I finally summitted Mt Katahdin this morning at 11:45, October 8th. At the top were about 60 other thru hikers. The mountain was closed for 5 days due to snow and ice, so there was a log jam of people waiting for the mountain to open. It was a beautiful blue sky day. It was a hard climb, but a real cool celebration at the top. I will have more info as soon as I can get to a library, I promise more pictures. Thanks again for all your support through everything. I know my Dad was with me at the top.Troutbum
Date: 2009-02-04
To: Mansfield, OH
Miles today: 0.0

Hey! having a hard time adjusting to the real world (or was the trail the real world) I am living with my Mother (After the death of my Father). She is in the early stages of alzheimers disease and would have to live in a home if I was not there. It worked out, as I did not have a home to go back to. I have already gained back half the weight I lost on the trail. It really is tough to stop eating. I miss the trail, but my foot appreciates not hiking. I am hoping to have surgery done on my left foot in the near future. Ten x-rays and 2 MRI's show that many things are wrong. Looking forward to being able to hike again,Troutbum
Date: 2009-04-06
To: Post surgery
Miles today: 0.0

Hey everybody! Just an update, post surgery. Do you like the green (non wight bearing) cast? I felt the color reminded me of the the long tunnel. Plus, it was better than the color pink or orange. I finally had surgery on Friday, March thirteenth. I am now the proud owner of 9 screws/pins, 2 plates, and 50 external stiches. I will be in this cast for another 3 weeks, then I go to a walking boot, along with 9 physical therapy sessions. So what was done to my foot? I have a four page report given to me by my doctor, Dr. Janis. I had to look up many words in my small medical library.In short, and in plainer english, they: 1) removed some synovial membrane from my ankle; 2) replaced a ligament with a tendon to stabilize my ankle; 3) performed a bunionectomy;   4) fused my metatarsals to the cuneiform bones; 5) removed a heel spur; 6) performed a plantar fascial release. Some other things were done, but as you can see, it was quite extensive (a two hour surgery). I am now the proud owner owner of a bone stimulator, a battery powered coil that helps heal the bones much faster (67 days on average). The cost was $2,200, paid by insurance (so I was told).Convalescence sucks. Fortunately, I have my Dad's old medical bed   (electrically goes up and down). I have my Dad's old wheel chair. I built an extension onto the footrest to raise my leg up about a foot into the air. I am now able to drive and use crutches to go short distances. I was recently invited to a dance, but retorted that I could only go to a Hop.The big question is, was all the pain worth the price of surgery. I mean, if I had to do it all over again, would I have kept hiking through the pain. Probably. I had made a vow with myself, that I would not quit unless I broke a leg. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do something really hard. I did it, and that is something that can not be taken away from me. It is something I can be proud of and will remember for the rest of my life. I could not have known at the time this would be the result. Live and learn.That is it for now. I am looking forward to seeing my frinds at Trail Dayz.Troutbum
Date: 2008-02-05
To: Slightly Pessimistic 
Miles today: 0.0

I know this journal entry is supposed to be about what I am doing and what I have done to prepare for this hike, that takes 6 months, through cold, rain, snow, wind, heat, humidity and clouds of mosquitos, on a footpath that traverses up and over the dominant mountain ranges of the east, spanning from Georgia to Maine, on a trail that is by no means effortless to tread on, and covers over 2000 miles. Sure I can tell you that I have all my gear, have saved money, have read numerous books about the AT, have spent hours checking out the AT websites, have spent a couple weekends backpacking to stay in shape, and many other things, but what I would like to know is. How do you prepare yourself for a 6 month trek, mentally? How? Should I just keep telling myself to be ready for days of rain, to be ready for sore feet and tired muscles, being cold, wet, hungry, thirsty, and just plain out uncomfortable for long periods? I'm aware of all these things, but how do I prepare for them? I know there will be good days with the bad. I know there will be times ill likely want to quit, but I'm sure they will pass. I guess I just have apprehensions that won't go away untill I'm actually out there hiking. Out there doing it. One way to look at it is, like the saying goes, "expect the worst but hope for the best". At least that way Ill be, more likely than not, continuously surprised!
Date: 2008-02-05
To: Thinking positive thoughts
Miles today: 0.0

So now that I've gotten the negative thoughts out of the way, I can focus on the positive aspects of this journey. I truly can't wait to get started! My original plan was to hike solo, not having anyone to go with, but my friend Dave might be coming along with me. Dave is my good friend from high school, and has been my hiking companion for a few years now. He's the one who actually got me into hiking. We have had many adventures together in the backcountry. When we were in Alaska, backpacking in Denali, we had to cross a river, the Mckinley River, to reach our destination. There is no way I would have tried that by myself! Fording a freezing cold, glacial fed river is no easy thing to do. But with a friend, whom you can trust with your life, is there to watch your back, it gives you strength and confidence. So I really hope everything works out so that Dave is able share this hike with me. It really won't be the same without him. I will be dissappointed if he's not able to come, but I've a goal to accomplish, and that goal is Katahdin, and nothing is gonna stop me, save injury or death.
Date: 2008-02-06
To: Joys of journaling
Miles today: 0.0

By keeping a trail journal online like this gives my family and friends a way to check up on me while I'm gone, and it lets them know that I'm ok, where I'm at, and gives them a way to contact me through e-mail. There are some other folks that I hope will enjoy my journal entrys and pictures also. They are the residents at Williamsport Retirement Village in Williamsport, MD, my current employer. I work in the renovations dept. remodeling and painting different areas of the facility. Together, the Life Enrichment dept. and I have come up with a way to share my trail journal with our residents, here at the nursing home. It will allow them to follow my progress as I hike. On a weekly or monthly basis, the residents will be able to read and view my journal entrys on a larger scale than a 17" computer monitor. They will see my journal on a large screen, like a power point presentation, even getting the journal read to them aloud. Our hopes is to create a fun and interesting activity that the residents will enjoy during the 6 month period. I had a pre-trip presentation for the residents, showing them my gear and answering questions they had about the hike. It went very well and by doing this, hopefully, sparked an interest in the residents so that they will want to find out how I'm doing during the hike. Just because our residents can't hike the trail themselves, doesn't mean they can't experience it at all. That's my intention, to be the eyes and legs of those who can't do it for themselves.
Date: 2008-02-18
To: I hope
Miles today: 0.0

I've been reading a lot of other hikers trail journals lately. It makes me pretty excited, but it also lets me see all the things that can happen to hikers that causes them to end their hike early: knee problems, ankle problems, lyme disease, over-spending their budget, getting sick from bad water, and numerous other reasons. I worry about those things because I know I'm no exception. I know that it could happen to me too. I guess I just have the pre-hike jitters! Also by reading journals I'm starting to realize how long 5-6 Months really is. Its an eternity! I think mental endurance will be more of a factor than the physical part. I hope I have what it takes. I hope I can complete this journey. I hope that everything goes well. I hope.
Date: 2008-02-19
To: Weight Reduction
Miles today: 0.0

Well, all the nice gear, that I've bought or had before, is being heavily scrutinized before it finds its place in my pack. The other day I loaded up everything that I originally was going to take with me in my pack. I added 10 pounds extra to simulate food weight for 5 days and I filled up 3 water bottles and put them in the side pockets. As soon as I hoisted the pack up I knew I had too much weight. It was just over 40 lbs.!!! My pack will support that kind of weight, but I don't want to carry that much. So now I'm going through everything I have to see what I can get by without. My heavy down jacket was the first thing to go. It weighs 2 lbs! Its super warm, but I think another, lighter weight layer will be adequate for around camp. The next thing was my Gore-Tex bivy sack. Its lightweight, for a fully waterproof and breathable bivy, but its something that I can get by without. Some other small things that are being left behind are my repair kit, which weighs about 4 oz. It has 2 hot-bond patches for my therm-a-rest, a whole tube of Seam Grip, 2 razor blades, super glue, 2 heavy-duty sewing needles, a small fishing kit, and some safety pins. Also a frying pan and spatula that weigh about 6.5 oz. And my water filter bottle(7.5 oz.), which I replaced with the Steripen(4 oz.). I'm sure there will be more that I omit from my pack to reduce weight, but that's a good start. Altogether that's about 3+ pounds. Everything that I leave behind will be on stand-by, back home, just in case I change my mind. More later...
Date: 2008-02-23
To: Getting close
Miles today: 0.0

Two weeks to go now. I can hardly believe it! Almost everything is in order. I just need to buy some new memory cards for my camera, so I can add my pictures to my journal, and I need to get some type of rain hat to go with my rain gear. The hood on my Frogg-Toggs jacket is so shallow, it won't keep the rain off my face. I probably won't even use the hood, if the rain hat works out ok. I used to have a O.R. Seattle Sombrero that I bought for Alaska, but I returned it to REI because I never used it. I should've held on to it. O-well. I heard that there's a fire ban in effect on the A.T. from Springer Mtn. to Roan Mtn. That's almost 400 miles of trail! I don't know if the ban has been lifted or not, it was supposed to be in effect until the end of April. That's really gonna stink not being able to have a fire in the evenings at camp, especially in the beginning when it will be cold. Cook stoves ONLY! The drought is still very bad in northern Georgia and North Carolina. I hope most of streams and creeks are still flowing. I heard the first 23 miles of trail in the Smokies is waterless. Its been awhile since I heard this, so hopefully its improved since then. Carrying 2 days of water will be heavy!
Date: 2008-02-28
To: Miss fishing
Miles today: 0.0

I know I'm gonna miss some things while I'm on the trail, mostly people in my life, but there is one thing that I'm really gonna miss...FISHING!!! It will be hard to just keep on hiking when I come to trout stream or a nice river. Ill wanna stop and fish every body of water that I come across. But who knows, maybe I'll get some chances to fish during the trip. I might take my little fishing kit after all. It only weighs like an ounce or so. Its just some line, hooks, and a couple split-shots. I could tie some line on to my extended trekking pole and dig up some grubs or worms for bait, sit back and chill for awhile. Even if I don't catch anything, I'll still be happy. That's why it's called fishing not catching. But catching one or two would be a nice bonus. They say, on bad days, you still learn something new about fishing. I've learned, a few times, that it sucks not to catch anything!
Date: 2008-03-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Today is my last day at home. Tomorrow morning I'll be leaving for Georgia with Dave. My mom and sister are taking us down. It will take about 11 hours or so to get to Amicalola Falls State Park from Pennsylvania, where I'm from. I'd like to leave by 5:00am so we get to the lodge at a decent time to check in for the night. I'm looking forward to seeing some of the mountains that I'll be hiking over. We're taking I-81 almost the whole way down, then we'll take 75 south right past Knoxville TN. Once past Chattanooga, it won't be long until we take some back roads east to Amicalola. The mountains will be beautiful. I can't wait! Once we're there, we will stay at the lodge Sat. night. I'll organize my gear one last time, then hit the sack and try to get some sleep on my last night in a bed...at least for awhile anyway. Sunday morning we'll get up and have breakfast at the lodge. Then, Dave and I will weigh our packs and sign the register, then say our good-byes and head for the arch. The arch is a stone arch-way that you walk under to begin the trail. Although it's 8.8 miles up the entry trail before we reach Springer Mountain summit, the actual beginning of the A.T. I'm thinking that we'll probably spend the first night somewhere near the summit. More later...
Date: 2008-03-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well we made it to the lodge here at Amicalola Falls. I just finished off a massive slab of prime rib, on top of the rest of the food on the buffet! It was delicious! That's the last steak that I eat for awhile. We made it here at 7:45pm. It took over 13 1/2 hours to get down here. We were happy to get checked in. Now when I say "we", I mean Mom, my sister, and myself. I got a phone call from Dave lastnite with bad news. He told me he wasn't coming now. I don't know all the details but he said that he might have to try and catch-up, or just hook up with me when he gets things worked out. I hope he does soon, I was stoked about doing this hike with him and now i'm a little bummed out.         I'm still on track and ready to start hiking right after breakfast tomorrow morning. This lodge is really amazing! It sits high up on the mountain, with an awesome view across the valley. Both of our rooms have huge bay windows that look out from the 4th floor over the mountains. Its without a doubt, the nicest lodge I've ever stayed at.        Anyway, I can't say when ill be able to post my journal entrys again but ill try do it ASAP. Tomorrow I walk alone... Into the wild.Truckin'
Date: 2008-03-09
From: Amicalola Visitor Center

To: Springer Mountain
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: clear sky

I woke up this morning very comfortable in my bed at the lodge. I got my stuff together and had breakfast with Mom and Christy. After breakfast we drove down to the visitor center where I weighed my pack (33lbs.) and signed the thru-hiker register. After saying good-bye to my mom and sister, and getting some pictures of me in the Arch, I set off up the approach trail toward Springer summit. I met two other hikers at the top of the falls, Yukon and Dirt, who both hiked the whole trail in 2006. We hit it off right away so we hiked together the rest of the day to Springer Mtn. summit, where the AT truly begins. When we reached the top we were greeted by Parkay and Leprachaun, two guys who hiked the trail in 06' also. They brought pizza and cold beverages for the hikers. This is called "trail magic" when something good like this happens on the trail. It was great to be on Springer, but I thought of Dave and wished he was there too. So I smoked one of the cigars he gave me for the hike, and thought of him. Wish you were hear man.        After leaving the summit we hiked .2 miles down to the shelter. The place was packed! There was more than 20 hikers there. I'm planning on hiking 7.6 miles tomorrow to Hawk Mtn. Shelter. I'm enjoying this but I'm tired. Goodnight!                Truckin'
Date: 2008-03-10
From: Springer Mountain Shelter

To: Hawk Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was my first full day on the AT. The weather has been great! 50's and sunny during the day and upper 30s at night. We started hiking ( Yukon, Dirt, and myself) at about 10am and knocked out the first 2.6 miles in just under an hour. The trail was very gentle today. At some points the trail was smooth and soft with pine needles, making for very pleasant hiking. We took a short side trail to a nice waterfall for a break and took some pictures. We made it to Hawk Mtn. Shelter by 3pm, set-up camp and relaxed. After a little while Leprachaun showed up with hot dogs and buns for us. Trail magic again! It was a nice treat.Its nice hiking with two guys who have hiked the whole trail before.They really believe in taking it easy in the beginning so i'm taking their advice. I'll keep the miles low for awhile. Its nice not killing yourself anyway, it makes hiking more enjoyable.Truckin'
Date: 2008-03-11
From: Hawk Mtn. Shelter

To: Gooch Gap
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up this morning feeling well rested. So with a good nights sleep, we set off up the trail. Todays hiking was a lot more difficult than yesterday. It was continuous ups and downs all day. The weather was cool but not cold, and it rained briefly in the afternoon. The rain didn't last long. Its been great hiking weather but I heard thunderstorms are coming in Friday. Hopefully its not too bad.        As we hiked today we saw two army guys with semi-automatic weapons messing around by the trail. We heard gunfire the night before and I found a string of rifle shells while gathering firewood. Yukon said they use this area for army training, pretty interesting. Well its gotten dark and my fingers are getting cold. Time to go warm up by the fire!        More later....                Truckin'