morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-07-23
From: Millinocket, ME

To: Mt. Kahtadin
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: moderate rain

We found out from the locals to check with the proprietor of the Appalachian Yrail Lodge (local hostel in Millinocket) about getting into the park. Lo and behold for $12 each he could squeeze us into his van and get us in!It's 20 miles but the gravel road in requires 40 minutes. The park is trying to preserve the wilderness aspect so they apparently don't grade the gravel too often, so the ride was like driving over a washboard. Ole Man - the owner- is very knowledgeable, so I'm not regretting the extra expense. He advises us bears are not much concern due to the aggressive hunting/culling they do here, that we don't have to worry about poisonous snakes till we get down to Mass., and that porcupines and the small red squirrels are our biggest concerns. Also the trail looks like someone cooked spaghetti and threw it on a plate - of course he was referring to one of my arch enemies on the trail - roots. Oh and you may see some rocks and mud bogs! Anyway back to the trail- it's a 5 mile hike up to the summit and 5 miles back- so as far as trail miles goes, we only get to count 5 miles for today's total. And to allow 8-10 hours....wait what? After climbing up and taking 3-1/2 hrs - I now know why. The ascent has a lot of boulder scrambling and rebar drilled into rock to help with climbing. Words can't describe this - so I'll leave it to your imagination. Once arriving to the top I saw more bloody knees and arms - one woman had a bloody face- I hesitate to guess what happened , but she had a smile on her face. The summit is above tree line (5263') and has one of the best views of Maine one could ever hope for. This truly is in the wilderness. I suggest googling Baxter State Park to read more about it. Took our pictures and saw some thru hikers break down and cry after completing their journey. My hat is off to these people for completing a Herculean task. I pray I have it in me to complete mine as well. While mine will be a little anti-climatic finishing in Harpers Ferry, it will still be carrying my home on my back and walking over some of the harshest terrain and elevation gain and loss equal to climbing Mt Everest 18 times (515,000 feet of elevation gain over the whole trail)!The descent took 4-1/2 hrs. Magic unbelievably met a friend from high school who wants to hike for about 30 days to test himself. John is from Boston area and works in construction. We will take him under our wings to see if we can help him. Got back to hostel around 7:00 and made plans for the next week - here's where we cue the music "dantada" I have no idea how to spell out the sound. Let's just say I've never planned for a journey that takes up to 10 days with no resupply options. So I'm a little overly cautious (some might say anal) but I don't have much body day to live off of, and no means for killing a moose. Turns out the Ole Man has a solution - he provides a 5 gallon bucket with lid, I supply all the food I can fit in said bucket and for a mere $35 he will place said bucket along the trail about 50 miles in. Saved again!
Date: 2017-07-30
From: Mt. Kahtadin

To: Monson
Miles today: 110.5
Weather: clear sky

Started the day in Baxter State Park - 10 miles of blissfully smooth and relatively flat trail at 1:00 - finished 10 miles in 3 hours. Man I'm thinking this is gonna be easy. As we left the park there is a private campground with an over priced camp store and restaurant. This is the last stop for resupply before entering the wild. It's powered by diesel powered generator. As I'm eating a BLT the power goes out, and magic says there is something on fire. It's the generator- the employees scramble to grab all the hand held fire extinguishers to no avail. Fire dept shows up almost an hour later, by that time the building was a pile of ashes but there was a danger of the woods spreading the fire. Who knew you could get dinner and a show this far from civilization?I'm not going to bore you with the details- but the 10 mile section I breezed through was very deceiving. The first 50 miles in were challenging, but nothing your hero couldn't handle. The last 50....well let's just say it was hard as hell. No bones about it, I thought about quitting many times, especially when passing NOBO (north bound thru hikers) saying southern Maine is probably the hardest part of the whole trail. What?!!!I will try to put into words, but I'm sure I will fail, to detail the beauty of this section. If it gives you any indication of how I felt about this section, let's just say I would hike it again- even as hard as it was the scenery and the remoteness are nothing short of spectacular. Please see some of the pictures I'll post in this journal. I hate to tell you, but Birthday quit the trail half way in and walked to a road and got a ride into town, eventually making it home. Been with me for most of this journey, but injuries got the better of him and it was best for him. I hope he got what he needed from this journey and he can complete it someday. I hope we can remain friends and see each other somewhere else down the trail of life. Funny story - so one lean to (the shelters are now called lean to's here in Maine) we stayed near had a group of summer camp kids staying at it. Magic had set his hammock a little too close to them, and these boys tormented him by thumping his tarp and running away. At first he thought it was one boy because he kept seeing green shorts running away. Then he realized they all had green shorts. Finally he caught a glance of which kid it was. Next morning he saw the kid packing his backpack, then the kid walked away. Oh yeah, magic stuffed three rocks in the bottom of this bag . We are still laughing about what this kid figured out and when.Got to Monson Maine- what a quaint little town. I've never been up here before but it's really quite homely. One young man walking with us to go get dinner, said - there's nothing to do here- which my reply was Exactly the way I would want it!
Date: 2017-08-11
From: Monson

To: Andover
Miles today: 132.3
Weather: scattered clouds

So sorry for Radio silence. Verizon is by far the best service on the trail, but even with that its spotty at best, and I've tried to stay in contact with family best I can and conserve time and battery life. Stayed in Monson for a day and a half at Shaw's hostel. Very hiker friendly. In the parking area here I noticed a car with TN tags, and even more amazing from Wilson Cty. Finally caught the owner who is helping her husband finish his section hike. They live in the town I grew up in. What a small world. Hiked out in beautiful weather over some varied terrain. Have I said how much I hate rocks and roots? Otherwise it's fun. Into Caratunk, had a mail drop/ resupply sent by Trinda. Winter gear is needed , temps dip here into 40's at night. Didn't quite think that one through when I flipped. Decided I had enough food and weather looked good, so I bumped it forward to Rangeley. PO here operates 2:00 to 4:00, yep two hours a day. And just south of town is a river that requires us to ride a canoe across. The ATC pays for a Greg to sit there from 9:00 am to 2:00pm ferrying hikers across this unpredictable river. So at first I thought maybe Greg was the ferryman and the postal worker, but it was not. On way toward Stratton crossed some interesting peaks. One day we were only able to squeeze in 8 miles of hiking, could have gone further, but a bad storm was predicted and I had no desire to be above tree line facing hail and high winds. This turned out to be a good decision. Next morning I took off at 6:00 and was treated to wet rocks that were slippery. I broke one of my trekking poles and slipped and slid down a 15 foot slab of granite landing on my elbows. Nasty little gash on one elbow and bruise on the other. No pain, no rain, no Maine. Looks like I have all three done. Rangeley is a tourist town, on the scale of Helen, Ga ... kind of. Zeroed here, the shoes while they were fine down south are not gonna cut it up here with sharp wet rocks. So I ordered three pair into Andover from REI. I'll pick out the best fitting pair and send the other two back. Hiked out and made Andover in two days. I was up and out early, I prefer to leave early in am (cooler) and arrive at camp for best site selection. Plan was three day to Andover, but I was 5 miles from Andover and got message the others were shortening the day because Magic was sick. They were 8 miles behind me. So I pushed over Old Blue Mtn at 5:00. Called Human Nature Hostel from Mtn top and hiked last 1 mile- took 1.5 hrs to descend this beast. It had rebar ladders to cover the tricky parts. Lots of fun!
Date: 2017-08-20
From: Andover

To: Woodstock, NH
Miles today: 142.6
Weather: clear sky

Wow, what a blast. The trail has been very eclectic this past 10 days. Andover was a reprieve from the regular and the Human Nature Hostel was the start. This is owned by Ryan Holt (Yukon) from Naked and Afraid reality show (and no he wasn't naked) but he has started building a geodesic dome with the intent of running the best hostel on the trail. Friar Tuck was there, and he hiked half the trail last year and lost 100 lbs. This year he started southbound from Katahdin. On his first day he got up there, but could not get down before dark. He ended up staying up there all night. When he finally made it down, he met the rangers arranging a search party for him. He is really lucky the weather wasn't too bad. Out of Andover I hiked over to the next town. Bethel, Maine and stayed at Chapman Inn. Very quaint town and all the beauty of New England character. Hitched by myself for first time in about 40 years. Not so hard as a thru hiker in a hiker friendly town. Back to the Wolf Pack at Grafton Notch and Old Speck Mtn. Once you reach the top it's literally all downhill from here to Mahoosuc Notch. Labeled as either the hardest or fun one mile of the trail. This notch is a rock scramble playground. The challenge was to find your way over around or under giant house sized boulders. It was fun and I think I usually find myself making hard challenges harder than they really are. It's a mental game. Up and over Mt Hayes toward Gorham, NH. On the descent (not a very steep one, but had sloping exposed granite that was wet from rain. I did my best to not injure myself, but slipped backwards again, landed on my butt and used my hands to buffer the fall. Tweaked my wrist (it's still stiff today but no swelling)B-cubed flew in and has spent the past weekend with me and we have been driving around this beautiful area. We drove up to Mt Washington (technically I'm supposed to hike it, but I'm not a "Purist" when it comes to the trail. Yeah, I know, it's hard to believe, I've been working on not being a perfectionist HYOH. There is a road that was built in 1861 to reach the summit of Mt Washington 6288' elevation. At this peak the highest recorded winds on the planet were recorded here - 231 mph. The weather is rarely good here and it didn't fail. We had 60mph winds and rain, half way down it was sunny and calm. When we reached the top Magic and No Stress were there, so we had some fun with the weather. But it would be a seriously dangerous mountain to climb. Glad I drove up. On to Woodstock tonight and Franconian Ridge tmw to try and see as much of the eclipse as possible. But I'll miss my B-cubed she flies home and I'll be back to the trail full time again. Nice vacation for me!
Date: 2017-08-21
From: Woodstock, NH

To: Woodstock
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: scattered clouds

B-cubed took us to the trailhead and headed off to Manchester,NH to catch her flight home. Always hard to say bye to the one you love. Took the trail up to Franconian Ridge and summited Mt Lafayette, Mt Lincoln, and Haystack Mtn. Last part of the Presidential Mtn range in the Whites of NH. Watched the partial eclipse from the ridge line. Great views and good weather. Hiked back down to see if No Stress's shoes came in. No luck. Waiting to see what happens.
Date: 2017-08-26
From: Woodstock, NH

To: Hanover, NH
Miles today: 52.7
Weather: clear sky

The Notch hostel in Woodstock is managed by a real genuine person named Bookie. She does a heat job dealing with all types of hikers. Took off to tackle the last 4K ft mountain we have to climb. And it was an intense climb, trail club has done a great job putting in ladders and steps chiseled into the slabs of granite, making it somewhat safer to climb or descend. Once we were at top, it was over reeling with strong winds, but we had partly cloudy conditions. So we had some sporadic great views. As we started the decent the trail became a trail. It was almost like those scenes in a movie where angels sing and a beam of light shines on you. I turned to look at No Stress behind me and he too was marveling - a flat trail with few rocks or roots and mostly dirt and pine needles. It was like walking on carpet. First time in over 400 miles since I've seen that. Next day we were given Trail Magic by the Omlet Guy. He has a tarp set up on the sid of the trail and he makes inlets for hikers. You can order as big as you want. I got four egg, didn't want to seem greedy, but I could've eaten more. He said the largest he made was a 30 egg omlet. That's not a typo- he said a German ordered and ate every bit of it right there. I tried to give him a donation but he refused. He said if he took money the Park Rangers would kick him out, and even if he could he wouldn't take money. He does it for the hikers. Up and over Cube Mountain (yep it's Trinda's Mtn) then over Smart Mtn which I tried to speed up my pace. And stupidly twisted my ankle and bent my third hiking pole in about a 90 degree. Surprisingly I got used and hiked on, I really thought I had hurt it - same ankle I twist d in GA. Magic was able to bend the pole back straight, but it won't collapse so I can put in my pack. Made it into Hanover and stayed in Lebanon, NH. Washed clothes and resupplied - heading over the Connecticut River tomorrow- this takes me into Vermont!
Date: 2017-08-30
From: Hanover, NH

To: Rutland, VT
Miles today: 46.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I cannot express my gratitude for the hard work trail maintenance clubs do. Especially in Vermont- maybe it's the easier terrain or it's just the beautiful weather (btw - it's been high 60's to low 40's and sunny - perfect hiking weather) but this has been a great section to walk in the woods (ref Bill Bryson's book)Coming out of Hanover is a bridge over the Connecticut River right into Norwich Vermont. Looks like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Homes date from the late 1700's to early 1800's and are immaculately maintained. First little mom and pop grocer gives hikers day old sandwiches for free (all gone by the time I get there, but they gave me doughnuts- much appreciated. Then the hike goes right up Elm street, high end subdivision (5 to 7 car garages) - three homes had coolers with soft drinks or snacks at end of their driveways with signs "for hikers". I can't figure out if it's a bribe to keep us from camping in their yards, or if they are just that considerate. One of the owner comes out to talk with us - they are just that kind. After two nights made it to the outskirts of Gifford Woods state park. Found out they charge $5 to camp there from a young thru hiker named Aden from Birmingham England. So I set up in the woods shy of the park around 6pm - this is my first big day since VA. Almost 20 miles. My legs are feeling strong , well the mountains are smaller and the stars are lining up. Got up next morning and hiked 4 miles to the highway and hitched into Rutland. Got a ride in about 10 minutes. Staying at the Yellow Deli hostel - kind of a cult feel, but it's clean has showers and can wash the stinky clothes. All they ask is to either help out around with housekeeping or a donation. I'm helping out.
Date: 2017-10-06
To: Harpers Ferry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Hey...I have been avoiding the update and I apologize. I walked into Harpers Ferry on 10/6, thereby completing my AT thru hike as a Flip Flopper.The journal was a great way for me to include you, and I apologize for not maintaining entries. I will give you some highlights.Maine/New Hampshire and Vermont were the most beautiful states. With the first two mentioned as the hardest..its the 80/20 rule. They cover twenty percent of the mileage, but represent eighty percent of the effort. Bushmaster said it best, I'm paraphrasing.... "Maine, come hike our trails. When you are done we should give you free knee replacements".Mass, Conn, & NY.....pretty and I think I gained all the weight I lost back in these states...too many road crossings with deli's. We couldn't resist.NJ and PA....did I ever tell you I hate rocks? I'm so glad I won't be going back there. I really did enjoy Sunfish Pond, and....well leaving PA.MD...did I really just hike that? Such a small section of the trail.My opinion of the trail .....it sucked. Would I do it again....hell no. BUT...the journey was well worth it, the effort was one of the hardest things I've done in my life and I don't have any regrets...well I would like to have the Tiffany doll back that got left behind in the 100 mile wilderness. I met some interesting people, experienced a once in a lifetime journey that most people only dream about, saw some majestic views and learned a lot about myself. Would I do another long distance hike...most assuredly. As I speak Cubed and myself are making plans to hike one of the Camino pilgrimages next year in Spain, and maybe one of the treks in Great Britain as well.To the friends I met on the trail ( I really consider everybody I met....yes even including ZZ Top at Standing Bear, the New Jersey punk I met at campground in VA...my friends) Thanks for the memories! A special thank you goes to Magic Mike, No Stress, BushMaster, and Birthday for letting me tag along and share our experiences. I hope we can hike together again some day! And the biggest THANK YOU goes to my wife who first supported my dream, and secondly for all the time she took to help my journey.In case you are interested follow Cubed and myself on Instagram while we travel ...tntitanup. Birthday I¢m catching up! I have 50 followers now!
Date: 2017-03-14
To: Katahdin Maine
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: snow

After several months of planning and preparation, I'm getting ready to start one of the greatest journey's of my life.....hiking the Appalachian trail. I start on Friday, March 17 going northbound (NOBO) from Springer Mountain Georgia. I have a lot of emotions stirring as I write this entry today because it's no longer a wish or a dream...it's for REAL! I want to invite everyone to join me on my journey through this trailjournals page.My goal is to "pay it forward" in my writing to all the wonderful folks who hiked the trail before me. 2016 thru hikers like Storm, Bunkie, Subman and Subs, Cheryl and Santa, Two Peas, Hazel, Terodactyle, Full Throttle and more. I followed each of their journey's on trailjournals last year and felt like I became part of their trail family. I want to paint the same picture for each of you and give real insights into what it's like on the Appalachian Trail. I hope you follow along over the next 5 months.I look forward to the journey ahead and will be adding a couple entry's before my start date to give more details on my background, gear, preparation, etc. In the meantime, please feel free to interact with me by signing the guest book on the left side. Your comments, feedback and encouragement will mean so much to me and I will do my best to write you back.Until next time.....Keith
Date: 2017-03-15
From: Springer Mountain Georgia

To: Katahdin Maine
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I'm only 2 days away now from starting my AT adventure at Springer Mountain, Ga. I can't wait! I thought it would be a good time to talk about my planning and preparation for the trip as well.First and foremost, I could not start this great adventure without the love and support of my wife Cindy (pic). I've been lucky enough to be married to this wonderful women for 34 years. Believe me guys, I really married up! We have three grown children who are also cheering me on. Cindy will start the hike with me to Neel Gap and will join me every month or so for a few days. She will also be my support crew back home with food prep and resupply boxes. I couldn't do it without her!I also want to thank all my hiking friends from Dayton Hikers and the Miami Rivers Chapter of the Buckeye Trail Association. They have been so supportive and encouraging which has meant the world to me. We have spent many days and hours on the trail including several AT section hikes over the past couple of years. We're really blessed to have such a great hiking/backpacking community in Southwest Ohio. Again, I welcome everyone reading this journal to become part of my extended trail family. I want you to feel that my success on the trail will be your success too. I will need all of your love and support for sure! Please keep in touch with me often by adding a note in the guestbook on the left. In return, I'll do my best to bring the Appalachian Trail to life for each of you in my daily journals. Until tomorrow.....The Mountains are Calling!Keith
Date: 2017-03-16
From: Springer Mountain Georgia

To: Katahdin Maine
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The time is finally here....we're on our way to Springer Mountain, Ga. today. We're leaving Cincinnati around 6:00 AM and traveling directly to Amicalola Falls to register at the Visitor Center. My wife Cindy is joining me for the first 3 days from Springer to Neel Gap. I'm sure it will be tough to part ways come Monday morning.We made arrangements to stay in Dahlonega tonight which is only 30 minutes from Amicalola and Neel Gap. We're going to park our car at Neel Gap and have a shuttle driver take us back to the Springer Mountain trailhead to start. That way we're hiking back to the car instead of Cindy having to shuttle herself on Monday morning. If all goes to plan we'll be staying at Hawk Mountain campsites on Friday evening, the Hiker Hostel near Woody Gap on Saturday and Blood Mountain Cabins on Sunday evening. I know this is a "cushy" way to start, but I thought it would be a better experience for Cindy at the start and provides even more trail memories. After that, I will look forward to finding and developing a new trail family with folks who are just starting out like me. That will be pretty cool.Looking forward to the day ahead. Kind of like a kid at Christmas to be honest? Springer, here we come!Until next time.....The Mountains are CallingKeith