morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-09-10
From: Wadleigh Stream Lean-to

To: Abol Pine Campsite
Miles today: 23.1
Weather: broken clouds

I got out around 7:10 a.m. and on my own again. Wrongway passed me right before the viewpoint with no view of Katahdin (cloudy). It was pretty good trail today with a lot of it being waterside, either by a stream or lake or pond. I met 4 very friendly SOBO dayhikers, and a SOBO section hiker later in the day. It was a beautiful day and I was very motivated/fueled by thoughts of how close we were to finishing. I was almost there!! Wow! Plus I finally got a closer view of Katahdin from Rainbow Ledges! The descent felt like it took forever, but I finally made it to Hurd Brook Shelter. There, Doug, Mike and I chatted for about 45 minutes. I really needed the break (not having had one since this morning) and was glad to have smiling faces and good conversation to refuel me.    Side note: I read in the log here that Solo had been there earlier today (said he flipflopped, so is now going SOBO). After talking to Pond Scum later it turns out that I missed them by 5 minutes--they left the trail to talk to him at Rainbow Springs Campsite, for 5 minutes and I passed them then. I peeked up when I heard voices, but I didn't recognize anyone from where I was and was on a roll, so I decided not to stop to chat. Bummer!! I can't believe I missed him!       I flew through the rest of the wilderness. I knew I was getting close to the road when I heard large trucks (probably logging trucks). This was weird at first since it had been 100 miles since hearing vehicles. The view of Katahdin from Abol Bridge was clear and beautiful. Wow! Ahhhh!! The guys were outside the store and we all ate nuked burgers (sounds disgusting, but was a treat for us) and snacks while we decided what to do next. The original plan was to summit on 9/12 but the weather tomorrow, 9/11, was supposed to be fantastic, one of the top 10 days to summit. Friday, 9/12, was not forecasted to be as much. So we could hike 10 more not-so-hard miles tonight (on top of a 21 mile day already) and 5 miles up and back down the next day. OR we could stay her, and do 20 miles that include Katahdin. OR we could keep our original plan and take our chances with the weather on Friday. We decided to stay and push to summit tomorrow. We, and Pond Scum, stayed at Abol Pine Campground in a lean-to (the other campground was closed due to water problems). Wow! We finish tomorrow--this is all happening so fast!
Date: 2008-09-12
To: Not hiking today
Miles today: 0.0

Wow, are we glad we summited yesterday. Today was our original plan, but the weather forcast changed our minds. It was cloudy, foggy, and rainy all day long, instead of nice in the a.m. and rainy in the afternoon. This made us very happy...good decision fellas!   Happy Birthday, Uphill! He, Wrongway, Blues Traveler, and I got a ride with Paul to Medway, where we got tickets on the Cyr Bus Lines to Bangor. There Blues Traveler, and later Uphill, got on a Greyhound and headed in their respective directions. Wrongway and I got a ride with a delivery man (to remain nameless for his sake) to Bangor Motor Sports. After a few hours, Wrongway drove away with a Kawasaki KLS 250X! Whoohoo! The guys at the shop were great with Wrongway and me. While Wrongway was taking care of things, Rick and other employees kept me company and talked about hiking the AT. After delivering our stuff to the Econolodge across the street, we drove out to Walmart, and bought food and a couple of things for Wrongway's trip home. I talked to Pop Pop and set up things for him to pick me up tomorrow. It rained all the way back and we got soaked -- yuck. Our speed made the rain hurt as it hit me.       The fact that I'm finished started to sink in a little bit. I was also bummed we had to scoot out of Millinocket so fast, because we missed out on celebrating with those we hiked with the last few weeks. I think that may have helped things sink in a little better. I heard we missed Bronco and Pack Animal in town, too...bummer!
Date: 2008-09-13
To: Things I was looking forward to
Miles today: 0.0

Things I was looking forward to when I completed the trail:- family and friends- playing with my dogs- crabs (Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs) [See pictures--we did it]- spreading out in a sheeted bed- quality time with Pop Pop - wearing cotton- maybe going to a ball game- music!!- fresh food (salad, fruit, etc...)- not having to walk all day- leisurely hiking- playing pool
Date: 2008-09-16
To: Pop Pop's house
Miles today: 0.0

I had a great time hanging out at Pop Pop's house in Vermont for a few days. We went to church, bummed around, went to a church dinner, played Skip-bo (I got annihilated), read a lot, watched the Patriot's game, caught up with things on the internet, went for a walk with Pop Pop, and just plain relaxed. It was great quality time with Pop Pop and great decompression time.   That was what I did, but how was I feeling? Aimless, like I had lost my purpose. I had reached my destination...now what?    Although I had been looking forward to not having to go, go, go, hike, hike, hike, it felt weird not to be..lonely with my feelings: yes, there were people around, and no offense, but no one in the same circumstances. I didn't want to talk, but I didn't want to be rude, but maybe talking helped, or maybe my mind was a big cloudy mess. I missed everyone I hiked with, especially those I had just left, and especially my constant partner and friend, Wrongway. I enjoyed just lounging around, but I got antsy, and wanted to be at least outside if not hiking.   P.S. On our ride home, while driving through Gorham, I saw 2 flipfloppers that we had met at Gull Pond Lodge, Mexico and Big Bo Pete, walking around town. I waved, but I was out of context and not sure if they knew who I was.
Date: 2008-09-17
To: Advice 
Miles today: 0.0

From my uncle:I don't know much about what it must be like to backpack for 6 months, but after following Jenny's journals every morning (more or less) since March I think I have some advice for you to ease her back into society.Don't be alarmed if she1. Sleeps on the floor each night 2. Christens each of you (including the dogs) with your own trailname and refuses to call you "Mom" or "Dad"3. Seems only to be able to walk from south to north where ever she goes (you will probably note that she ends up at the north end of your house each evening4. Excuses herself from the dinner table to get a drink of water and is gone for an hour or so looking for the nearest spring5. Excuses herself to go to the bathroom and heads out the backdoor6. Goes to bed when it gets dark and wakes up when the sun rises.7. Sits down at the dinner table and asks "Is this an AYCE?"8. Passes you in the hallway and asks whether you are a SOBO9. Keeps looking out the window to see if she can finally spot a moose10. Goes to the post office to pick something up for dinner Congratulations on surviving this journey and have a great time welcoming her home....
Date: 2008-11-15
To: Memories
Miles today: 0.0

Isn't it crazy how memories just flood back sometimes? I was driving in the car and the song on the radio reminded me of being on the trail, b/c it was one I had in my head a lot, and sometimes sang aloud when I was alone. Or at pool the other night (I'm in a 9-ball league, and no I'm not good...they need people of all skill levels on the team, and it's fun)..anyway, at pool the other night a song by Bad Company came on, one that Wing It and I sang together on the trail, to make time go by faster, or to just enjoy music together. I listen to my Johnny Cash CD and remember a handful of us in the Smokeys hiking along, piecing together the words to one of his hits. It happens with food, too. I was cooking with olive oil, and my dinner meals of Ramen w/a little added olive oil came to mind. My friend was talking about Spam being popular in Hawaii, and I could practically taste it in Ramen, with oil. (Yes, I confess, I ate Spam on the trail sometimes)Or I was at the gym and could've sworn the guy downstairs, doing back exercises, was Double D. Or I was hiking with the Mountain Club of Maryland in Patapsco State Park and as we were going though one area, it reminded me of the trail just north of Hiawasee. Crazy! I love it! I hope it never stops.
Date: 2009-11-27
To: Dream Big Poem
Miles today: 0.0

I found this poem in Storm's journal (GA->ME '09) and love it!DREAM BIG      If ever there were a time to dare,to make a difference,to embark on something worth doing,it is now.Not for some grand cause, necessarily,but for something that tugs at your heartsomething that is your aspirationSomething that's your dream You owe it to yourselfto make each day here countHave funDig deepStretch Dream big. Know, though, that things worth doingseldom come easy.There will be good daysand there will be bad daysThere will be times whenyou want to turn around,pack it up,call it quits.Those times tell youthat you are pushing yourself,that you are not afraid to learn by trying. Persist. Because with an idea,determination,and the right tools,you can do great things.Let your instincts,your intellectand your heartguide you. Trust. Believe in the incredible powerOf all the things that will cross your paththis year. The start of something newbrings the hope of something great.Anything is possible.There is only one you,and you will only pass this way once.Do it right.
Date: 2008-08-17
To: A week away
Miles today: 0.0

So this past Easter, my brother(Nate) and I (Phil) started talking about the possibility of hiking the AT together. He wanted to take a year off of school before entering college and I wasn't ready to start into a job yet after graduating from Gordon College. We both love the outdoors and love hiking and wanted to have some time where we as bros could share a sweet adventure with each other. The AT fit the bill so we ran the idea by Mom and Dad and with their support (and prayers) we have commited to starting the trail from North to South this next Sunday. Nate and I just finished an amazing summer counseling at Deerfoot and we are pumped to start hiking. Throughout the summer my feelings alternated from petrified to excited depending on the day and now that we are a week away this whole thing is becoming a so much more real. Through this trail journal, we hope to keep in contact with people and provide friends and family with a running commentary on how our trip is going. If we are coming through an area of the trail nearby to you, let us know and if you want to join up with us-or offer us a nice meal, a shower and possibly a bed (this is me shamelessly inviting us over to your house). Look forward to hearing from you and letting you know how the trip goes. -The Brothers
Date: 2008-08-21
To: Prep
Miles today: 0.0

We head up in 2 days. The whole family will be hiking Katahdin all together and then Nate, Ruth and I will hike the 100 mile wilderness together. Ruth will head home after that and then Nate and I will continue on. We got all our food yesterday and started packing our packs today to see how everything fit. Anxiety is passed and now excitement, although anxiety will probably come back soon. We look forward to hearing from you and you joining us in our hike. Let us know if we are coming anywhere near you.
Date: 2008-08-23
To: Final Countdown
Miles today: 0.0

Well, we are on our way. We drive to Katahdin today and we start hiking tommorow. It is crazy, I can't believe that it is really here. I had a hard time sleeping last night thinking about what Nate and I are actually about to do. It's a little overwhelming for me-Nate is just excited. Definetely speaks to our personalities. Before we head out I wanted to put into words some of my goals for this trip. Above all, I look forward to my relationship with Nate and most importantly with the Lord to be deepened and strengthened incredibly. Hiking the trail is definetely a goal and finishing it would be amazing but the trip's success will not hinge on whether we make it to Georgia or not. Hiking is simply a mechanism for Nate and I to grow closer together and for us in turn, together, to grow closer to our Lord. We are pumped to hike though and we expect and hope that we will be joined and encouraged by our friends along the way. So...come and join us or drop in on us if you know we are close. See you on the trail. -The Brothers
Date: 2008-08-25
From: Final Countdown

To: Katahdin Streams Campground
Miles today: 5.3
Weather: light rain

Started the AT yesterday! The entire family hiked Katahdin via the knifes edge. It was an amazing hike. We then hiked down to Katahdin Streams campground and the first 5 miles of the AT. The hike up Katahdin was hard but beautiful. What made it so good was that we as a family were able to accomplish it together. It was hard to sleep last night. I sat in bed with a stomach ache thinking about what I was actually about to do. I wonder if this is a normal feeling or if I am just worrying about it more than others. Nate is fine. He doesn't worry about anything and is not really stressed much at all. I'm probably doing enough for the both of us. I just sat there praying last night that I would be calm and be more excited than nervous. I eventually got to bed and this morning do feel ready to hike. We will be hiking the 100 mile wilderness starting today. We have given ourselves 8 days to get through it to Monson, ME. Ruth was originally going to join us for this portion of the trek but had something come up at home so she will be joining us sometime next week. Nate and I are excited to have our first day with packs and to be together to start to figure out what hiking together on the AT will really look like. We will hopefully be able to update you guys when we get into Monson, ME. Blessings.
Date: 2008-09-07
To: Stratton, ME
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

In Stratton, ME right now enjoying a zero day in a hostel. We got in yesterday morning and plan on leaving today at 4pm after the Pat's game. This past week, Ruth, our sister joined us on the hike. We went from Monson to Stratton which was 70 miles. She impressed both Nate and I beyond belief by the way she was able to keep up and in most cases lead us. It was great having her on the trail because she was able to experience what Nate and I will be experiencing over the next few months. I will let her write a little journal and she can give her perspective on the trip. The feelings about the trail have become steady. I am no longer anxious about it and about hiking. I am fully confident in our ability to hike and get into towns and resupply. I am over that initial excitement as well. I love the trail and the daily task of hiking but it is not as new and exciting as it was a week ago. Very normal feelings to have I'm sure. I have shin splints in my left leg right now. I don't really know how to rehab them and conventional wisdom would probably say to get off them and rest but right now we don't have the luxury of doing that. We don't have the money to sit around in a town at a hostel and we have to get past the Whites in NH soon before winter weather sets in there. We are probably between a week and 10 days from the Whites which most say are the hardest stretch of the trail. It consists of a lot of mountains and a lot of steep hard climbs on tough trails. I can't wait. I have a feeling they are a lot like the Peaks in New York which gets me pumped because the Peaks are the best hiking in the world (in my humble, Deerfoot biased opinion). Dad came up and resupplied us yesterday and with him he brought a small gift for me. A travelling mandolin. I picked up the Manodolin a little this summer at camp and had fun playing The Wreck of the Ole' 97-(you can check out the video on my facebook account). Now I have a travelling one and will be able to play on the trail. He gave me 5 songs to learn and hopefully Nate and I will be able to provide some entertainment for ourselves and other people. Again, let us know if we are coming near you at all, or if you would like to join us. We will hopefully be in Gorham, NH in a week for our next zero day. -Phil
Date: 2008-09-15
From: Stratton, ME

To: Gorham, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: fog

It¢s been an awesome past week. We last were in Stratton, ME where we said good-bye to Ruth after she joined us for 5 days. We are now in Gorham, NH! We have officially finished our first state! Only 13 more to go. Wow, that sounds like a lot, but Maine is definitely one of the longer states so it¢s all good. We did 110 miles in 6 days and got in yesterday morning after a 6 mile hike in the rain. We are staying at White Birches campground which is a cute (best word I could use to describe it) little hiker hostel/trailer park outside of Gorham. Part of our incentive for getting in on Sunday was so that we could see the Patriots play the Jets. Yes, Nate and I do plan our zero days around Sunday¢s so that we can fill a small part of our obsession with football and the Pat¢s. It was fun to see them get the win. This past week has been a tough week of hiking. We passed over the Mohoosuc Mt. Range which some say is one of the tougher Mt. Ranges on the Trail. It involved a lot of elevation gain and loss. It was great preparation as we are entering the Whites tomorrow. Tomorrow is the start of potentially one of our toughest weeks on the Trail. The Whites are so difficult because it is a lot of elevation gain and loss, lots of big mountains including Mt. Washington, the tallest in New England, and the weather is very fickle and extreme. For me though, all of these things make them really exciting, because they will potentially give us some of the best views, weather permitting, and will be fulfilling because of how difficult they are. Our appetites have sky rocketed since getting onto the trail. I feel a bit of guilt about how much food I ate yesterday. We went to Wal-mart to shop for food yesterday (I am not a believer in Wal-mart at all and feel guilty that I succumbed to shopping there but it was the only store we could get a shuttle to) and Nate and I bought a bunch of hotdogs, ice cream, fruit, cereal, burritos, etc. to eat as we hang out. It is my body telling me I need thousands of extra calories but it still amazes me just how much I can actually put down. When you polish off a half gallon of ice cream between two people after a large dinner and then ask for more, you know you are eating a lot. Thanks for your support and prayers. One thing I could use prayer for is my sleep. I wake up probably 10 times during the night out of discomfort. I think it is because I am used to a nice feather pillow and now I sleep on a balled up fleece. Anyway¢¦I haven¢t been getting good sleep and it¢s been frustrating at nights some times. Remember me as you lay down at night with your two or maybe three pillows. -Phil
Date: 2008-09-16
From: Gorham, NH

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

We just got done with our stretch from Stratton to Gorham. Its been a tough couple days of hiking but also had plenty of highlights. This past week, we tried out a new technique of handling our food. Instead of packing up a weeks worth of food with our delicious over the top gourmet trail meals making our pack weight out of control, we decided to spread out our food throughout the towns in mail drops sending a couple days worth of food at a time in one drop. In our first drop two days out from Stratton, we were picked up by an extremely nice and hospitable family of Ana and Ben Wetherhill. Dad had met this couple at Soul Fest during the summer and they found out about our hike and told Dad to give us their number. Well, we called them out of the blue and they willingly picked us up in our nasty smelly hiking clothes and brought us to the store in Rangeley to re-supply. As Phil and I were all ready to hit the trail again, Ana and Ben insisted that they take us out to eat and they treated us to an amazing lunch at a nice restaurant in town. I had a delicious burger while Phil enjoyed a nice buffalo chicken wrap. We really can not thank the Wetherhills enough for their tremendous love and care they showed to two complete strangers in the middle of the woods. They really exemplified Christ¢s love and care to others through their generous actions towards us. We are really enjoying this Sunday and Monday off in Gorham. Watching the pats game was a lot of fun too with Phil and a couple other hikers in the Hostel who happened to also love the New England. Watching the pats, taking a shower, and resting our feet have defiantly been some highlights of our off day so far but by far, the biggest enjoyment has come from FOOD. During the past week of hiking, we do eat well and have some tasty meals to calm down our appetites at night but we don¢t nearly take in enough calories that we burn during our rigorous hiking days. That¢s why when we first walked into the Wal-Mart Grocery store on Sunday morning, I felt like a child in a toy store running up and down the isles looking at all the delicious treats that I had been dreaming of for a week. Especially since being out on the trail for six days between our off days, I can compile a pretty amazing list of food to consume. We also went to McDonalds for lunch and hit up their dollar menu which left us walking out of the Golden Arches with a massive bag of food with plenty of calories to add to our hiker bodies. Well we are about to enter the Whites and I¢m really excited. It¢s going to be tough but it¢s also going to have some amazing views and some beautiful scenery. I could really use some prayer for my right shoulder that¢s really been bothering me for this past week. I¢m a little worried because it¢s the same one I had surgery on so I would love your prayers and thoughts for that. Well, I have to go now. Me and Phil have to catch the early bird special at an all you can eat Chinese buffet in town¢¦haha a dream come true. See you after the Whites.