morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-07-02
From: East B Hill Rd near Andover ME

To: South Arm Rd near Andover ME
Miles today: 10.1

We hiked from East B Hill Rd to South Arm Rd, 10.1 miles. We had an excellent breakfast at the Human Nature hostel and was dropped off at the trailhead at about 8:10 AM. It rained most of the day. The first five or six miles was pretty easy. Afterwards it got a little more difficult. But honestly, after the last two weeks, it really wasn¢t all that bad. It was nice to know we had a hostel waiting for us at the end. We met a group of SOBO¢s. It was nice to speak with them. One of them was from Wilkesboro NC, my home state. We made it to our pickup point by about 3:45 PM. When we got back to the hostel, we had a hot bowl of soup waiting for us. We got showers and Splash¢s cousin who has a cabin in Maine came and picked us up and took us out to dinner at an Asian restaurant in Mexico ME. All in all, we had a good day in spite of the rain. Special thanks to Paul and Carol Brown for taking us out for dinner. I have enjoyed my stay at Human Nature Hostel. It is more than just a stay. It was an experience. I¢m so glad I chose to stay here. This place has a certain vibe that is indeed rare. White Owl is the owner and he strives to make a welcoming and relaxing experience for hikers. It is sort of a haven after making it to Maine.
Date: 2023-07-03
From: South Arm Rd near Andover ME

To: Stealth site near Bemis Mtn Rd ME
Miles today: 12.4

We hiked from South Arm Rd to a stealth site near Bemis Mtn Rd, 12.3 miles. It was a pretty wet and overcast day. We didn¢t actually get rained on but the trail was very wet from all the rain the night before and it stayed overcast most of the day which kept everything from drying out. The grade and the condition of the terrain were not as difficult as we have been seeing lately so we made decent time. We got on the trail by about 8:00 AM and we arrived at our campsite around 4:30 PM. We hiked 3800 ft of ascent and 3500 ft of descent.
Date: 2023-07-04
From: Stealth site near Bemis Mtn Rd

To: ME Route 4 near Rangley
Miles today: 14.1

We hiked from the stealth site near Bemis Mtn Rd to ME Route 4, 14.1 miles. We got on the trail this morning at about 6:00 AM. Immediately after getting on the trail we had to cross a stream with no bridge or rocks to hop across. I didn¢t even put my hiking shoes on until after I had made that crossing. Instead I wore my camp shoes. We saw some beautiful forest scenery and a couple of decent views but it was overcast enough that we didn¢t see anything spectacular. We also saw a lot of moose signs, scat and even several fresh tracks. It seems unlikely we will get to see an actual moose while we¢re hiking. It believe they avoid human contact. I¢m confident we¢ve been seen by moose as we traverse their environment. We were picked up by shuttle driver ¢Jack¢ who brought us to the Rangley Town and Lake Motel. We mainly wanted to come into town to get dried out some. We hiked 3000 ft of ascent and 2900 ft of descent.
Date: 2023-07-05
From: Route 4 near Rangley

To: Sluice Brook Logging Rd
Miles today: 13.5

We hiked from Route 4 near Rangley ME to a stealth site near the Sluice Brook Logging Road at mile point 1991.3. We hiked a total of 13.5 miles with 4200 ft of ascent and 4200 ft of descent. We enjoyed a fantastic day of hiking with beautiful weather. We hiked up and over three peaks known as the Saddlebacks. We were above the tree line for quite a while and were able to enjoy some beautiful views. Right at the end of our day we had a stream crossing in which there wasn¢t a bridge or sufficient stepping stones. We chose to remove our hiking shoes and wear our camp shoes to get across the stream. We found very nice tents sites with easy access to water. The only downside was all the mosquitoes. We had gotten on the trail by about 7:30 AM and arrived at the campsite at around 5:00 PM. It was a strenuous but good day.
Date: 2023-07-06
From: Sluice Brook Logging Rd

To: Caribou Valley Rd
Miles today: 10.4

We hiked Sluice Brook Logging Road at mile point 1991.3 to Caribou Valley Rd, 10.4 miles. We hiked up and over Lone Mtn and Spaulding Mtn for a total ascent of 3200 feet and descent of 2700 feet. Yesterday afternoon we passed by Poplar Ridge Lean-to which was the last place Geraldine Largay was seen alive. Mrs. Largay was the subject of a book entitled ¢When You Find My Body¢ by D. Dauphinee. She had been hiking the AT in 2013 and became lost. Although there was a massive search effort to find her, she was never located until a forestry agent found her body in the Fall of 2015. Today, we walked by the area where she became lost. Her body was found just a few hundred yards from the AT.We enjoyed a second consecutive day of great weather. It was exciting to cross the 2000 mile point of the AT. Although the climb up the two peaks was strenuous, we made good time. We got underway about 6:00 AM and arrived at our pickup point at about 1:00 PM. We were picked up by one of the Jenn¢s who run the Maine Roadhouse in Stratton ME. This is a very nice, comfortable hostel.
Date: 2023-07-07
From: Caribou Valley Rd

To: ME Route 27 Near Stratton 
Miles today: 8.3

We hiked from Caribou Valley Rd to ME Route 27 near Stratton ME, 8.3 miles. We made it to the trail by 9:00 AM hiked up and over the Crocker Mtns. There was nothing really technical about the hike. There some nice views to enjoy along the way and the weather was fantastic for the third consecutive day. The hike up the Crockers was fairly strenuous but it only took around three hours to make it to the second peak. After that it was all mostly downhill. This was a slack pack day for us as we were returning to the Maine Roadhouse Hostel for a second night. We finished the hike around 1:30 and were picked up by Jen at 1:45. By the time get arrived back at the hostel, a thunderstorm rolled in shortly thereafter and we were thankful to be inside.
Date: 2023-07-09
From: ME Route 27 Near Stratton 

To: Long Falls Dam Rd
Miles today: 19.5

Saturday, July 8, was a zero day. We needed the rest. We hiked from ME Route 27 near Stratton ME to Long Falls Dam Rd, 19.5 miles. We were able to slack-pack this section because the hostel owners at the Maine Roadhouse carried the bulk of our gear for us up the trail to the Terrapin Hostel in Kingfield ME. So when we arrived at Long Falls Dam Rd, Lauran, the owner of the Terrapin Hostel picked us up and shuttled us to his hostel. This was a long day. We were on the trail just before 7:00 AM and we didn¢t get to the end of our hiking day until about 6:15 PM. We hiked up and over the Bigelo Mtns. There won¢t be any more high mountains for us to climb until we reach Katahdin. There are other mountains but none of them are anywhere near 4,000 feet. Our day included 5800 ft of ascent and 5900 ft of descent. Needless to say, it was a very tiring day.
Date: 2023-07-10
From: Long Falls Dam Rd

To: The Kennebec River
Miles today: 17.1

We hiked from Long Falls Dam Rd to the Kennebec River, 17.1 miles. We were delivered to the trailhead by hostel owner, Lauran. We started hiking at about 7:10 AM. It was overcast and the forecast was for rain but the rain pretty much held off until about 11:30 AM. So we were able to make good time in the morning. It was a pleasant hike and it was very pretty even if it was overcast. But starting at 11:30 AM, the rain came making the rest of the hiking day pretty miserable. We sloshed through mud and I slipped and fell once. Thankfully I didn¢t get hurt. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy has a canoe with which they provide free ferries across the Kennebec River. They do this to discourage hikers from attempting to ford the river. At least one hiker drowned attempting to ford this river. There¢s a problem with the ATC¢s plan. They only operate the free ferry from 9:00 AM until 2:00 PM. If you arrive after 2:00 PM, you have to wait until the next morning. There are a couple of private contractors you can hire to ferry you across during off hours. That is what we did. The contractor who served us is Cheryl. She was very nice and even drove us in her car to the Sterling Inn where we are staying. After we got to the Inn, we showered and put on dry clothes and went out for dinner.At this writing, we are 151.7 miles from the summit of Mt Katahdin. We are 37 miles from Monson ME and the beginning of the 100 mile wilderness.
Date: 2023-07-11
From: Pleasant Pond Mtn Rd

To: The Kennebec River
Miles today: 5.8

We hiked southbound as a slack-pack from Pleasant Pond Mtn Rd to the Kennebec River, 5.8 miles. This was an easy hike although it was very muddy. It rained only briefly a couple of times but I didn¢t get very wet. We got on the trail about 11:30 AM and were finished by around 2:00 PM. By the time we got to the end of our hike, the sun was shining and the sky was mostly clear. It was an uneventful hike with no views other than when we made it to the North bank of the river. We now only have 28 miles of hiking to be at the beginning of the 100 mile wilderness and 146 miles until the completion of the trail.
Date: 2023-07-12
From: Pleasant Pond Mtn Rd

To: Moxie Bald Bald Mtn Pond Lean-to
Miles today: 13.4

We hiked from Pleasant Pond Mtn Rd to Moxie Bald Mtn Pond Lean-to, 13.4 miles. This hike included 3400 ft of ascent and 3300 ft of descent which was definitely enough to make us tired. We hiked up and over both Pleasant Pond Mtn and Moxie Bald Mtn. I came across a female grouse who didn¢t fly away. I was able to get a couple of good pictures of her. There were some nice views to take in and we enjoyed good weather all day. At the very end, there was a thunderstorm in the area and it sprinkled a little on us but this was after we had made it to the lean-to. The lean-to overlooked Bald Mtn Pond. (Note: I would not call this body of water a pond, it is really a lake.) We had actually contemplated hiking an additional couple of miles but with the threat of storming, we decided to stay put. We could hear the loons calling at different times during the night and the bullfrogs croaked practically all night long.
Date: 2023-07-13
From: Moxie Bald Mtn Pond Lean-to

To: ME Route 15 at Monson ME
Miles today: 17.9

We hiked from Moxie Bald Mtn Pond Lean-to to ME Route 15 at Monson ME, 17.9 miles. Even though this day had relatively high miles compared to some of the days we¢ve been doing lately, the topography did not indicate that it was going to be a strenuous day. And honestly, it wasn¢t. But for some reason I hit a wall at around 1:30 PM and I was pretty sapped for the rest of my day. Even though I have hiked over 2000 of the Appalachian Trail, I still miss it on my nutritional needs every once in a while. If I am well nourished and not experiencing a lot of plantar fasciitis pain, I can usually hike pretty strongly; but introduce one or both of those factors and I slow way down.This day contained a lot of water crossings. For me, I do not enjoy walking in soggy shoes. But I have had to learn to suck it up and get used to it. There was one river in particular in which we had to cross both the West branch and the East branch. The name of the river is the Piscataquis River. Due to all the rain in the region, this river was flowing at unusually high volume. We had been cautioned by Eric back at the Sterling Inn and subsequently by numerous SOBO¢s that there was a roadwalk alternative. However, the roadwalk would add about three miles to the day. We were hoping to avoid that extra three miles but were wanting to exercise caution as well. Fortunately for Splash and I, Kidding was able to learn that a safe volume to cross the river was when it was measuring at 400 cubic meters per second. Kidding had further been able to find a website that continuously gives live-time readings of the current flow rate of that river. The only problem was we had no cell signal where we were. But Kidding was able to use her Garmin Inreach mini satellite communicator to ask a family member to check the website first thing in the morning. So it turns out the flow rate at that time was reading 456 cmpm. We deemed that close enough to the 400 limit and decided to cross the river. It was a bit intimidating walking up to that river and seeing the volume of water flowing through. But we mustered up our courage and made the crossing. The water in some places made it up almost to my waste. With that amount of water pushing against you, it forces you to brace yourself a lot. Adding to the challenge is the slippery rocks you have to walk across in the bottom of the river. It is a hair raising experience. I think we made a total of four crossings. The two most challenging were the West and East branches of the Piscatiquis. We took photos at a couple of the other crossings but at these two, our full focus was on getting across and we didn¢t pull our phone/cameras out. After getting past the river crossings, the rest of the day was just about trudging through the muddy trail to make it to Monson.Once we got to the highway crossing, we called Shaw¢s Hostel for a shuttle. Their shuttle runs at the top of even numbered hours and we arrived at 2:30 PM. So we had to wait a while. But the wait was worth it. Shaw¢s is a very hospitable hostel.
Date: 2023-07-14
From: ShawÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs

To: ShawÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Hiker Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

We aren¢t hiking today. I typically don¢t do a journal entry on a zero day. But the situation is different now. Tomorrow we plan to enter the 100 mile wilderness. I won¢t be able to post journal entries while we are out there. We are planning for it to take seven or possibly eight days. So during that time, I won¢t be making posts.A word about Shaw¢s Hiker Hostel. This is the busiest hostel I have seen since being on the trail. There are NOBO¢s and SOBO¢s as well as a mix of other hikers too. They are very organized without seeming too petty about certain issues. I¢ve been to hostels in which the owners seemed too anal about things that they want to control. The owners here, Poet and Hippy Chick, are laid back yet they still manage to host a large number of hikers without making them feel like little children that need to be managed. This morning, I went in the kitchen and Poet was busy cooking away and enjoying it. He¢s a fantastic person. He and Hippy Chick seem to make it a point to remember everyone¢s name. Oh, and by the way, the breakfast was fantastic. Three fried eggs with the white cooked and the yolk runny, bacon, homemade hash browns, and all you can eat blueberry pancakes. They have an amazingly stocked resupply and a broadly stocked hiking gear shop. This place is a don¢t miss it kind of place. I hope they stay in business for as long as they want.We will be taking advantage of their food drop service in which they meet you out in the 100 mile wilderness with half of your food so you don¢t have to carry all that extra weight.
Date: 2023-07-15
From: ME Route 15 at Monson ME

To: Long Pond Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 15.1

We hiked from ME Route 15 near Monson to Long Pond Stream Lean-to, 15.1 miles. Poet from Shaw¢s drove us out to the trailhead. He lived up to his trail name on the drive. I hadn¢t heard him speak like that before but he really flowed as he spoke. I was amazed at the speed with which he rattled off the information he was sharing with us in such a poetic manner. I like that guy. I was a little apprehensive about being in the 100 mile wilderness. It can be intimidating with all the build up before you enter it. Poet¢s pep talk before he let us out was encouraging. After getting on our way, we forded at least four rivers during the day. We saw a family out hiking without any gear or provisions. This made me realize we weren¢t as remote as I thought. We saw lots of other hikers throughout the day, both day/section hikers as well as SOBO¢s. It didn¢t rain and the terrain was pretty nice although there was a lot of mud to contend with.
Date: 2023-07-16
From: Long Pond Stream Lean-to

To: Pleasant River Campsites
Miles today: 15.7

We hiked from Long Pond Stream Lean-to to the Pleasant River Campsites, 15.7 miles. We passed the 2100 mile point of the Appalachian Trail. We went up and over Barren Mountain and the Chairback Mountains. We ascended about 4200 ft and descended about the same. The day started out wet and ended raining. We had to set our tents up in the rain. All in all it was a pretty soggy day. We weren¢t able to enjoy any views and everything was slippery. The only river ford we had to do was the Pleasant River. It came up to just above our knees.
Date: 2023-07-17
From: Pleasant River Campsites

To: East Branch Lean-to
Miles today: 16.1

We hiked from Pleasant River Campsites to East Branch Lean-to, 16.1 miles. We hiked up and over Gulf Hagas Mtn, West Peak, Hay Mtn, and White Cap Mtn. This amounted to 4000 ft of ascent and 3600 ft of descent. While we were up on Whitecap Mtn, I was able to spend a little time up there and dry some of my gear out. I was thankful for the opportunity. The sun wasn¢t particularly bright but there was a nice breeze which helped dry things out.
Date: 2023-07-18
From: East Branch Lean-to

To: Potaywadjo Lean-to
Miles today: 19.5

We hiked from East Branch Lean-to to Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to, 19.5 miles. We hiked up and over little Boardman Mountain. Our total ascent for the day was 2400 ft and our total descent was 3000 feet. We made unusually good time getting to Jo Mary Road where we were to meet the driver from Shaw¢s hiker hostel, Longshot, to receive our food drop. Our prearranged time to meet him was 1 o¢clock, and we arrived there at 11 o¢clock. Fortunately for us, he showed up early just a few minutes after we arrived there. The reason he was so early was he was dropping some hikers off. I never knew this but hikers are able to break the 100 mile wilderness into two sections if they choose. But I¢m sure the shuttle fee isn¢t cheap. When we first arrived for the food drop, we were met by a trail angel by the name of Iceman. Iceman was not there for the specific purpose of doing trail magic though. He was supporting a hiker who is trying to set the fastest known time for hiking the Appalachian Trail. Right now, the fastest known time is 41 days. They count it in days, hours and minutes. But I don¢t know the exact hours and minutes that is the record right now. The hikers name that is trying to set the record is Captain Morgan. Later, in the evening, after we had arrived at our lean-to and were preparing dinner, Captain Morgan passed through our area. He was moving so fast though, that we did not get a chance to take his picture. I hope he is able to break the previous record. After receiving our food drop, we hiked on to Antlers Campsite where we had planned to spend the night. But again we had made such a good time, we arrived at antlers campsite at 1:30 PM. So instead of spending the night there, we took a swim in the lake and refreshed ourselves. And then we headed on to Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to arriving there at approximately 4:30 PM. It made for a high miles day; but it put us in position to be able to finish the rest of the 100 mile wilderness in two more days. I know people encourage you to savor your time in the wilderness but by this point we were eager to get to Millinocket. An interesting feature about this lean-to is the spring itself. This particular spring is a sand pit in which water bubbles up from the sand. It is a very beautiful spring and produces a lot of really cold, fresh spring water.
Date: 2023-07-19
From: Potaywadjo Lean-to

To: Rainbow Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 18.2

We hiked from Potaywadjo Spring Lean-to to Rainbow Stream Lean-to, 18.2 miles. I haven¢t really had to hear mice in the shelters where I¢ve stayed in a long time. But that wasn¢t the case last night. There were a lot of them. I could hear them most of the night off and on. I could hear them climbing on my bags. But fortunately they didn¢t do any damage to anything. Also it stormed pretty hard during the night. The trail was pretty soggy first thing and we had to ford multiple streams. We crossed up and over Nesuntabunt Mtn. It was very pretty up there and we had cell signal too. We got our first long range view of Katahdin from there. It turned out to be a beautiful day.
Date: 2023-07-20
From: Rainbow Stream Lean-to

To: Abol Bridge
Miles today: 15.0

It occurred to me last night that this would be my last night I would actually spend out on the trail. Our plan is to zero a couple of days at the AT Hostel in Millinocket to give my family time to get here before I summit Katahdin. Also, we don¢t really want to summit on the weekend because there will likely be a lot of day hikers on the mountain. We plan to do the ten mile section between Abol Bridge and Katahdin Stream Campground either Saturday or Sunday.Based on my experience with the mice the previous night, I chose to stay in my tent. This gave me time to reflect on my journey so far. I won¢t go into my reflections at this time but suffice it to say I was having a lot of mixed emotions over facing the approaching end of my journey. I may try to elaborate about some of my thoughts in a later posting. We hiked from Rainbow Stream Lean-to to Abol Bridge, 15 miles. We went over Rainbow Ledges which gave us a really nice view of Katahdin and also allowed us another chance at cell signal. We arrived at Abol Bridge at about 11:00 AM. We had started hiking this morning at about 5:30 AM so we made pretty good time. We had arranged to be picked up by a shuttle driver at 1:00 PM so we had a little while to wait. Fortunately there was a picnic table nearby in the shade. It turned out to be a beautiful day. Once we got to the AT Hostel in Millinocket, we got cleaned up and were able to rest up a bit. Later, we saw Lucky Penny and Prickleberry coming in after having just summited Katahdin. They, along with Lucky Penny¢s husband, Thomas, went to dinner with us at a restaurant down the street. It was good seeing them again and sharing their excitement and gleaning some intel from them. Another good day on the AT.
Date: 2023-07-22
From: Katahdin Stream Campground 

To: Abol Bridge
Miles today: 9.9

We hiked South from Katahdin Stream Campground to Abol Bridge, 9.9 miles. We got on the trail at about 9:30 AM and finished at 2:15 PM. I was excited to be hiking with my wife, Maureen and our oldest son, Jason as well as my usual hiking companions Splash and Kidding. It was a beautiful day and the topography and terrain were gentle. If the day had a drawback, it was all the mosquitoes. I had taken a zero day the previous day and my plan is to take a zero tomorrow to avoid weekend crowds.