morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-09-17
From: Andover ME

To: Surplus Pond ME
Miles today: 1.8
Weather: overcast clouds

09/17/2004GatherWake up, we slept in the vacant house last night, good nights sleep. Get up and head to the Snow Valley Friendly Diner for the PANCAKE challenge! There¢s 5 of us going to do the challenge.We go in, sit down. I get the attention of the cook, she nods. We order the pancakes. Set around and talk, here come the pancakes! Oh me, those things are huge, three of them!! Look like they are 20¢ in diameter and thick!! I look at mine, look at the others, mine looks bigger than the others!! The cook peeps around the corner and winks at me!! Something funny going on here!!We tie into the pancakes, these things are big! I get halfway through, I sat and stare at them, I eat a few more bites, I¢m stuffed!! I can¢t eat anymore, the others give up too!We failed the challenge miserably, we ask if anyone had ever won the challenge? They say a few have, but they can¢t remember when, a long time ago they say. We ask for doggie bags, there¢s enough left on my plate to feed me all the way to Katahdin!! Kip said we¢ll be leaving dough balls all up the trail!Later I talk to the cook, she whispers to me ¢The boss was watching me¢ oh well so much for that. Personally I think the cook was having fun with me, she was grinning when I left. Later I learn she was part owner in the Diner!! The pancakes were good though. Wish ole Slimer was here to have some, these things would shut him up for good!We go back to the vacant house and pack up, we head out into the green working our way toward Katahdin, one step at a time.Ate too much, slow going, we pass by East B hill Road 1,485 ft. Keep pushing. Finally we come to Surplus Pond Outlet. We call it a day. Set up Tarp, eat leftover pancakes.Very pretty place here, looks like a storm is coming up, wind is getting up and sky is getting dark. After a while we turn in and go to bed.I wake up in the middle of the night cold and wet, raining so hard it¢s roaring, the sky has opened up, water is rushing under my tarp like a river. It¢s 3 am, still pouring rain, it¢s cold tonight, I think they said it was supposed to be around 28 degrees, I believe it too.I sat there the rest of the night in 8¢ of cold water, everything I have is wet except food hanging up from a tree in my bear bag. I put on my rain pants and jacket, seems to help hold my body heat some. Long cold night!! Ivan the terrible got us good!!I¢m thinking about the poor Slimer out there somewhere without a tent, he must be miserable all huddled up under his little tarp somewhere up the trail. Hope he¢s ok.Gets daylight, rain has slacked off some, it¢s cold and miserable out here. All the others got wet too, even though they had tents, they are soaked just like me. We pack up in the rain and start sloshing north. All our leftover pancakes are ruined!!Pretty soon the rains stop. We stop and try to wring out our sleeping bags, they must weigh 40 pounds soaked with water. Sun comes out, we empty our packs and try to dry out our gear. Finally pack up and move on again.Andover ME ¢ to ¢ Surplus Pond Outlet ¢ 1.8 miles
Date: 2004-09-18
From: Surplus Pond ME

To: Bemis Mtn Lean-To ME
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: light rain

09/18/2004GatherAfter leaving Surplus Pond we keep sloshing north, trail is muddy and slick. We climb up Wyman Mountain 2,920 ft, pass by the Hall Mountain Lean-To 2,650 ft.We push on, go by Sawyer Notch brook 1,095 ft. Pass by South Arm road, climb up Old Blue Mountain 3,600 ft, slipping and sliding we are.I have my fleece underwear hanging from my pack so they will dry out.Finally make it to Bemis Mountain Lean-To 2,800 ft. We call it a day here. Now what to do? Our sleeping bags are soaked! It¢s going to get cold tonight, still some daylight left, we wring all the water we can out of our sleeping bags.I cook beans and rice, pretty good. I put on all the clothes I have, put on my rain jacket and pants over them and crawl in that wet bag!! Miserable all night long.Surplus Pond ¢ to ¢ Bemis Mountain Lean-To - 17.3 miles
Date: 2004-09-20
From: Little Swift River Pond ME

To: Piazza Rock Lean-To ME
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: clear sky

09/20/2004Gather:Wake up, not so bad last night, just very un-comfortable sleeping in rain gear, but you do what you have to. The last three days have been wilderness camping at it¢s finest. Pack up and hit the trail. Pass by South Pond. We see two more moose in the distance, they run off. There¢s moose all over this place, but have not seen any bear. Have seen a lot of tracks and bear scat, but no bear. Make it to ME, Hwy 4, the road that goes into Rangeley ME. We hitch a ride into town. Re-supply here, wash our clothes and dry everything.Hitch back to the trail and head north into the green. Pass by sandy River, make it to Piazza Rock lean-To. We call it a day here.Cook, eat and crawl into a nice WARM sleeping bag with-out the rain gear on!Little Swift River Pond Campsite ¢ to ¢ Piazza Rock Lean-To - 7.0 miles09/20/2004SlimerWake up, Brrrrr, it¢s COLD!! Hard to get moving, get up cook and eat. Pack up and head north.Take a break beside the trail. Beautiful day, I just want to lay here in the sun and sleep.I keep digging, go by South Horn, climb Bigelow Mountain (west peak) 4,145 ft, tough climb. Go by Safford Trail, pass by Safford Notch Campsite.Start up little Bigelow Mountain 3,010 ft, kicking butt now, feeling good. Pass by the little Bigelow lean-to. Go by East Flagstaff Road.Come to Bog Brook Road, Flagstaff lake Inlet, decide to call it a day here. Going to cowboy camp tonight. Set up, cook and eat. Hear some splashing, see two moose on the far side, too far to get a picture.Sky is clear tonight, gonna get down cold again, crawl in my bag and go to sleep. By myself tonight, except for the owls.Hoerns Pond Lean-To ¢ to ¢ Bog Brook Road , Flagstaff lake inlet ¢ 11.7 miles
Date: 2004-09-23
From: Stratton Maine 

To: Avery Memorial Campsite ME
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

09/23/2004GatherI¢m here at the White Wolf Inn in Stratton Maine, good nights sleep last night. Pack up and get ready to hit the trail.Go eat breakfast. After breakfast I hitch a ride to the trailhead, easy to get a ride here, very friendly people.Man lets me off at the trailhead, here we go heading into the green, heading north, always north toward Katahdin.Pass by Stratton Brook Pond, meet up with ¢Pipe Smoke¢, he flip-flopped and is headed south, stop and talk to him a while. Push on, go by Stratton Brook 1,230 ft. Pass by the Cranberry stream Campsite, stop and take a break. Chipmunks everywhere, I feed them. I can hear a moose off in the distance, very quite and peaceful here.I push on, go by the Bigelow Range trail, pass by Horns Pond Lean-To 3,160 ft. Climb up Bigelow Mountain (west peak) 4,145 ft, pretty tough climb.Make it to the Avery Memorial Campsite, call it a day here. Set up my tarp, cook, eat and turn in for the night. Cold up here in the mountains.Stratton ME ¢ To - Avery Memorial Campsite ¢ 8.0 miles
Date: 2004-09-24
From: Avery Memorial Campsite ME

To: Pierce Pond Lean-To 
Miles today: 24.6
Weather: clear sky

09/24/2004GatherWake up, was very cold last night, but I stayed dry and warm. Heard something crashing in the woods last night, but didn¢t see anything.Eat, pack up and head north. Climb Bigelow Mountain (Avery Peak) 4,090 ft, that¢ll warm you up. Pass by Safford Trail, stop and rest here.Pass by the Safford Notch Campsite, keep pushing north. Climb Little Bigelow Mountain (east end) 3,010 ft. It seems all the mountains around here are called Bigelow? Pass by the Little Bigelow Lean-To, keep going. Come to Bog Brook Road, Flagstaff lake Inlet, see a moose across the pond feeding, take a break here.Push on, pass by Long Falls Dam Road, wonder where it goes? Keep moving, climb Roundtop Mountain, not a bad climb 1,760 ft.Finally make it to Pierce Pond Lean-To, call it a day here. Good day in miles.Avery Memorial Campsite ¢ To - Pierce Pond Lean-To ¢ 24.6 miles
Date: 2004-09-26
From: Caratunk ME 

To: Humping Toward Monson mE
Miles today: 0.0

09/26/2004GatherI decided to spend the night here at the Northern Outdoor Resort last night, great place to stay. Good food, good people, very nice place.Kip, Debone, Little Munchkin , Ski Bum,Gordy,Chef and Cherokee are here among some others.I call home, dad tells me Ed Wright took a direct hit from hurricane Jeanne last night in FL, he lives near Stuart. Hope he¢s ok. Dad said Ed wanted to get the money for my cheeseburger in the mail yesterday so I would have it by the time I summit Mt. Katahdin , Ed will be without power for maybe three weeks. Dad told Ed he wouldn¢t give it to me unless I summit. That¢s really nice for a stranger to do something like that for me, just goes to show what nice people there are in this world today.Dad tells me Slimer said Wipe-Out is about a week ahead of the him. I tell dad I don¢t doubt it one bit, she¢s a hard charging girl for sure. I knew Slimer couldn¢t keep up with her, not many can. The reason Wipe-Out is charging so hard is she wants to get back out west and climb Mount Whitney in Calif before year end.Observe some statistics on Mt. Whitney: http://www.nps.gov/seki/whitney.htmMt. Whitney is the most frequently climbed peak in the Sierra Nevada, if not in the US. Because of this, the National Park Service and the US Forest Service, who manage the Whitney Portal Trailhead. Mt. Whitney can be most directly reached by a 10.7 mile (17.1 km) trail from Whitney Portal, 13 miles (21 km) west of the town of Lone Pine CA, on the east side of the Sierra. Ice axes and crampons are needed in spring and early summer, but technical climbing equipment is not usually necessary between mid-July and early October. The elevation at the trailhead is 8360' (2550 meters). The elevation at the summit is 14,491' (4417 meters). Permits for this trailhead must be obtained through the Inyo National Forest. Please read the reservation information provided by the Forest Service if you are interested in going to Mt. Whitney from Whitney Portal. Contact the Mt. Whitney Ranger District, PO Box 8, Lone Pine, CA 93545, 760-876-6200, for additional information about this trailhead. I tell dad Mount Washington was enough for me, Wipe-Out can have Mt. Whitney.I tell dad I have to go eat breakfast and hit the trail,I¢ll leave here this morning heading north, putting one foot in front of the other flashing my wicked grin.Miles behind me: 2,022.9Miles to go: 151.2 Left to go before the big ¢K¢   Yahoooooooo!!09/26/2004SlimerI left Monson this morning heading into the 100 mile wilderness, see you in about 6 to 7 days if all goes well, that is if the good Lord's willing and the creeks don't rise. Oh, and if it don't snow!!Slimer (Team Spotted Dog)
Date: 2004-09-27
From: Caratunk ME

To: Monson ME
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: few clouds

09/27/2004Gather:Kip and I left Caratunk heading north towards Monson ME. From there it will be the 100 mile Wilderness, then Katahdin!!We head out across Holly Brook, Pass the Boise-Cascade logging road. Pass by the Pleasant Pond Lean-To. I see where the Slimer has signed the register here. Climb up Pleasant Pond Mountain 2,470 ft, keep pushing hard.Pass by the Moxie Pond. Come to the Bald Mountain Brook Lean-To, stop and take a break. Push On, shooting for Moxie Bald Lean-To.Climb up Moxie Bald Mountain 2,629 ft. Finally make it to the Lean-To, worn out. We have pushed hard today. Cook, eat and turn in.Caratunk ME ¢ To ¢ Moxie Bald Lean-To ¢ 18.8 miles
Date: 2004-09-28
From: Moxie Bald Lean-To ME

To: Monson ME
Miles today: 14.6

08/28/2004Gather:Wake up, cold last night. Got down really cold, just gonna get colder the further we head north. Just hope the rain and snow will hold off.Eat, pack up and hit the trail. Go by Bald Mountain Pond outlet, keep pushing. Met up with some hikers coming south bound, Aaron Schoenberg from New York. He said he had been communicating with dad via e-mail, offered me a sleeping bag. Wonderful people, big surprise running into people that call out your name!Keep pushing north, ford a river, cold water here in Maine. Finally make it into Monson ME. Kip and I make a deal with this massage therapist to work for stay tonight.I call home talk to mom, then call dad at work. All ok at home, Freckles is doing ok mom said. Heading into the last leg of my long journey from Georgia to Mt. Katahdin ME. I should complete my journey on Oct 6th or 7th just as I had planned. From here on to Katahdin there will be little or no contact with mom and dad.Dad tells me he got the cheeseburger money from Ed Wright in the mail, Thank you Ed. I hope Ed is ok, he took a direct hit from Hurricane Jeanne there in Jensen Beach FL.I will leave here in the morning putting one foot in front of the other flashing my wicked grin.See ya on the summit!!!!117 miles to go before the big ¢K¢
Date: 2004-09-29
From: Monson ME

To: Zero day Monson
Miles today: 0.0

GatherI¢m in Monson ME, Zero day today. Re-supplied, checked out gear for the 100 mile wilderness. Washed and sanded and painted windows for the massage lady.Local carpenter was working there, helped him work on his trailer, Ketone, White Patch and Kip was helping.Slept at the massage lady¢s house last night on the carpet floor, good sleep (no massage).Ate at the Monson General store, very nice people there. Rebel Flag was flying at the store, and also at a Church nearby, kinda odd this far up north, maybe no one has told them yet ?Wonderful people here ¢¦¢¦..Monson ME ¢ Zero Day -
Date: 2004-10-03
From: Sidney Tappan 

To: Cooper Brook falls 
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: clear sky

10/03/2004GatherGet up, eat , pack up and hit the trail, feet are starting to bleed some now. I really didn¢t want to move, but no choice. Start walking, met caretaker/ Ridge Runner, very nice person, stopped and talked a while. He said it was going to rain tonight.Feet are really getting bad now, finally make it into Cooper Brook falls and call it a day.Sidney Tappan ¢ To - Cooper Brook falls ¢ 17.1 miles
Date: 2004-10-04
From: Cooper Brook falls 

To: White House Landing 
Miles today: 13.7

10/04/2004GatherEat, pack up and hit the trail, rough going with bloody feet. Rained last night, but I stayed dry. Came to the trail that goes off to the White House landing. Walked up to a lake, horn on tree with can of compressed air, instructions say to blow horn once and a boat will come pick you up.We blew the horn and sure enough a boat came across the lake towards us. Got to the lodge, Kip was already there. Ate, and got some stuff to put on my feet. By now all the hikers had heard about my feet and were offering what medicinal supplies they had for my feet.We stayed there that night,Cooper Brook falls ¢ To ¢ White House Landing ¢ 13.7 miles
Date: 2004-10-05
From: White House Landing 

To: Rainbow Springs 
Miles today: 19.7

10/05/2004GatherWake up, nice place here in the middle of no-where, no phone, no power, everything runs by gas and comes in by boat, snow-mobile in the winter. Guy that runs this place is a # 1 Ass-Hole by all means.Get moving around 9:30 AM. Feet are hurting and now I¢m getting sick and have diarrhea pretty bad. At this point I have to make it, I will if I have to crawl to Katahdin through my own crap and blood.Keep pushing north. Night hiking now to stay on schedule, moving slow. Finally make it to Rainbow Spring about 11 PM , hurting and worn out. Kip and the rest of the crew are there.White House Landing ¢ To ¢ Rainbow Springs - 19.7 miles
Date: 2004-10-06
From: Rainbow Springs 

To: Abol Bridge 
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: broken clouds

10/06/2004GatherLeave out, hobbling along with bloody feet and diarrhea, the end is near, I keep pushing. Make it to Abol Bridge. Call home, spoke to mom, she said dad and Jorma were up here somewhere, I asked her to call dad for me.Got some food at the camp store, and made it to the campsite, we tarped and built a fire beside the river. The wind was blowing, smoke was always in my face. Finally I got tired of it and went to bed.I¢m sick, my feet are bloody!!!White House landing ¢ To ¢ Abol Bridge ¢ 11.2 miles
Date: 2004-03-05
To: Sam's Appalachian Trail Web Page
Miles today: 0.0

Hi everyone, Thanks for visiting my journal for my March 23rd hike of the Appalachian trail. I am planning to take approximately 4 months to hike the 2174.1 miles starting on Springer Mountain in Georgia and hiking north to Mt. Katahdin in Maine. I am hiking with my friend Willie Lorenc who graduated with me in December from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. We have been planning to do this trip for over two years and are now less than two weeks away from starting. I have been buying gear for the last four months and hope to keep my pack weight without food and water to under 25 pounds. The light packs will hopefully allow us to hike twenty miles a day on average which is a very demanding goal. I hope that everyone signs my guestbook often or emails me to say hi. I will be updating my journal hopefully everytime I stop in town to resupply and will be sending lots of pictures home which will then be processed and put on the photo and journal pages. I have posted most of the gear I will be bringing so be sure to check that out too. Thanks for all the support from my friends and family and especially Crystal.Sam
Date: 2004-03-06
To: Web page up and running!
Miles today: 0.0

(This was my original first entry. I added the one before because thats the page people will probably see first.)Hey people, It's 2AM on Sunday and I stumbled onto this site looking for information about the Appalachian Trail. I like what I've seen so far so I plan to use this site to let everyone know how my hiking preparations and eventual hike is going. For those of you who don't know me my name is Sam VerPlanck and I graduated from Rensselaer in December. I am joining the Marines in the fall of 2004 (if everything goes right) and am planning to leave to hike the trail on or around March 20. I am hiking with a good friend of mine named Willie also from RPI. We have been planning this trip now for over 2 years and now it is only 2 weeks away. A few weeks ago I was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the USMC and recieved my orders to report to TBS (The Basic School) in April. However, I was under the impression that I wouldn't be going to TBS until September or later giving me time to do this hike. So right now I am very nervous and uneasy about my immediate future. I am optimistic though that everything will work out and will let everyone know as soon as possible what is happening. Well, its very late now and I have to be at work in 9 hours. More very soon.Sam
Date: 2004-03-07
To: More gear information added!
Miles today: 0.0

Hi friends and family, I have been very busy adding lots of information about my gear to the web site. I also added 2 pictures, 1 of my graduation from OCS and 1 picture of Crystal and me. I hope to get a good picture of me with my gear soon and a picture from my commissioning ceremony. Tomorrow might be a big day for me. Captain Doucette told me he would contact HQMC and find out anything about my request to delay going to TBS. I am hoping for the best. Thank you Darryl for your entry, I am glad to know that there is hope for me no matter what happens with the USMC. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to go to TBS, I just really wanted to and had planned on hiking the Appalachian Trail first. I have been told as a last resort to contact my senator or congressman if my request is denied so I at least have a plan B.More improvements to the site tomorrow,Sam
Date: 2004-03-09
To: I am definitely going!!!
Miles today: 0.0

Great news!!!The April TBS class filled up and I got moved back until June! So now I have more time to get it moved back a few more months and even if things don't work out I can still hike for 2 and a half months. So I am definitely starting my hike probably on March 23. My plans are to drive to Willie's house on the 17th or 18th and stay there until the 20th. While there we will go over last minute details like checking out all the gear and figuring out what kind of miles we want to hike the first few weeks. Then bright and early on Saturday (2 AM) we will start the very long drive from Albany, NY to Georgia.I am extremely excited that this trip is definitely going to happen and will try my best to keep this online journal full of news and pictures.Sam
Date: 2004-03-12
To: Getting closer.
Miles today: 0.0

Hey everyone, One week until I start the long drive down to Georgia. I did some more shopping today and filled my pack to see how heavy it feels. I don't know for sure but without food and water I think it is at 25 pounds or so right now. I will still have to add some gear that Willie and I will be sharing like the tent, stove and filter. But there will be some gear too that we both have and don't need 2 of. I am desperately hoping that my pack will not excede 35 pounds with food and water. I also have to remember that once the weather warms up I can get rid of alot of winter gear to save close to 10 pounds, maybe more. Thanks for all the messages I have received so far. To answer a few questions I do not have a trail name yet. If anyone has any good ideas and I emphasize "good" then please let me know. I would prefer not to be known as PB+J or VerPlunk but some things are unavoidable. Well, that's all for now. I have two more days of work at Sam's Club and then I am off to New Hampshire to tie up some loose ends.Over and Out,Sam
Date: 2004-03-19
To: Time for a long drive!
Miles today: 0.0

Hello everyone, Yesterday was a fun day. I went to RPI to visit my friends. About a dozen of us went to Krispy Kreme donuts. I had never been. Then Crystal and I went to watch my old team play floor hockey. They other team didn't show up so I jumped in for a bit and we played 3 on 4. We had a good time. Today was a big and much less enojyable day. Crystal and my mom drove with me here to Willie's on Wednesday and they left earlier today to head back to Massachuessets. It was very hard emotionally. Both Crystal and me were a mess as we went our separate ways. I didn't think it would hit me as hard as it did. So in about 5 hours, 2 AM on Saturday, we will start the long drive down to North Carolina to stay with some family friends of the Lorenc's. I don't know if I will be driving part of it or not. We are taking a rental car so we'll see. Sunday we will stay in NC again and monday we will head to a hotel in Georgia near Springer Mountain. So we will officially start the trail on Tuesday morning. We are planning to take a service road to a mile up the trail and hike back on the AT to the top of Springer Mountain. The alternative is to hike 9 miles up the southern side of Springer to get to the trail start. Since we want to get into the hike as soon as possible and get past the early crowds we will take the service road. We are not sure what mileage we want to start out with. If we do 15 both days it will put us in Neels Gap by night two but we will see. Hopefully I will be able to add another entry before we start.Sam