morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-07-20
To: Maine border
Miles today: 0.0

I am thrilled to be in my 14th, final and home state of Maine.I enjoyed the challenging Presidential range, and am fortunate to have the mud and the rain behind me.I recently had a bear encounter along the trail... and after some convincing a group of us were able to scare it away and we could continue on.After today I have only 275 miles left to hike and Kathadin is within reach.As always I enjoy the new people that I meet along hte way, and take great comfort in my dear friends and fellow thru hikers.Will update soon.
Date: 2009-07-31
From: Maine border

To: Katahdin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

   This is Ed, Madelyn's husband and I am responding to the many friends and supporters who have asked about her progress and when will she finish.   I spoke with Madelyn last night and she is leaving Monson, Maine today and entering the 100 mile woods. If all goes according to plan she will reach the base of Katahdin on weds. August 5. She plans to climb Katahdin on Thurs. Aug 6 and go down the Saddle trail to Roaring Brook Campground where I will be waiting.   Finally,   after 4 months and 11 days victory is in sight.
Date: 2009-08-12
From: Katahdin

To: home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Dear Trail Friends,   This is my last log entry as I have now completed the Appalachian Trail. You can not imagine how much your support and encouragement means to someone on the trail but it is sooo good!!Thank you.From March 26th to August 7th I hiked from dawn to dusk in all kinds of weather and all kinds of rugged terrain and each day was filled with different adventures and the making of lifelong friendships. I was blesses with good health, injury free and a strong desire to complete my goal of making it to the summit of Katadin. I believe in dreams and turning dreams into reality and living each day of your life to the fullest.    Again, thank you dear friends: trail companions, back home friends, trail angels and volunteers, and friends all along the trail. Your support did make the difference.I am so happy to have walked the AT but I am so happy to be safely home with my family again.Madelyn from Maine
Date: 2009-08-19
To: Time is Flying
Miles today: 0.0

Time is flying by and I am about to begin my AT hike for the year.I am a 68 year old female long section hiker. Since retirement I try to do two hikes of at least 400 miles a year, one on the AT and one on the PCT. This year I have done 473 miles on the PCT, completing Southern California to Kennedy Meadows and also doing 116 miles in Southern Oregon. Last year I finished hiking rather abruptly as I reached Pennsylvania and had a medical emergency of an intestinal blockage. All is well in that department now and it is time to go hiking on the AT again.I wil be flying to New Jersey with my daughter and her 3 small boys (all three under 4 years old) on Saturday. And as they drive to West Point, they will detour and take me to Delaware Water Gap. I will start the next day on the trail.This is a short entry tonight as it has been a busy day and I need to fall into bed but I must get this journal started. And life will be good.
Date: 2009-08-20
To: Hiking to get some rest
Miles today: 0.0

OK, that sounds strange: hiking to get some rest. But that is what I will be doing.it is absolutely unbelievable how busy i have been in the last month. My daughter has been visiting along with her three childre: three boys, almost 4, 2&1/2 and 9 months. And we have gone somewhere or had people coming to visit here almost every day the entire month. On top of that there has been garden harvesting and tasks associated. I am exhausted. My "joke" is that I am going to take a hike to get a rest. I have loved every minute of their being here but I must admit they have kept me incredibly busy. In fact I have been eating like I was on a long distance hike and I have gained no weight at all. I am running it all off just running after them.There is one more day here to accomplish whatever it is that is going to get accomplished. And then we will fly off to Newark, New Jersey and I will be on the trail on Sunday.Life is, and will be good.
Date: 2009-08-21
To: Weary but ready, I think
Miles today: 0.0

I am weary but I think ready. Today was a whirlwind with putting up corn, cleaning up garden, pickling a few beets, dehydrating the parsley, pulling weeds, paying bills and packing too.I hope I have not forgotten anything.And, of course, there were three little boys and my daughter doing things or being taken care of also. As I patted Nathan (the baby) into oblivion for his nap and then tonight for bed I thought to myself how incredibly lucky I am to have such a wonderful family. I will be sad when Sara stops having babies. There is nothing quite so peaceful as a baby going to sleep on your chest. (giving you a chance to rest too)So, tomorrow it is flying off to the east and then I will be walking. Life is good.
Date: 2009-08-23
From: Almost hiking

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, I was supposed to start hiking through New Jersey today but it turns out I will be a day late as the shuttle driver didn't show up as scheduled. He thought I was going to call him when I got in to the Dear Head Inn although I told him the plane would be landing too late to call. It made me irritated this morning but it turns out all for the better I think. The plane was even later than planned. First we were early. Then we circled Michigan for a while. Then we circled Ohio for a while. Then we had to land in Cleveland to refuel because of all the circling and finally we got to land in Newark. I was accompanying my daughter and three small boys (almost 4, 2&1/2, and 9 months) They all did pretty well for the amount of time the flight was supposed to take. But the extra couple hours in addition was just too much. The 2&1/2 year old had the hardest time and just had a melt down until he finally slept. I got to hold the baby most of the time and we both slept together part of it. There were many children on the flight and it was hard for all of them but the other passengers, by and large, were the most accomodating and friendly folks I have ever flown with. But by the time we met Andrew and had three car seats and other luggage stowed in their van and they drove me to Delaware Water Gap it was after 1:00 in the morning. So, although I got up at 5 and ate breakfast and got ready to hike, I was only briefly upset when the shuttle didn't show and went back to bed and slept the rest of the morning. My other reservations for slackpacking for the next 5 days have been bumped a day and all will be well as I had a 2 day cushion with my daughter after New Jersey before heading to Maine. So, besides sleeping, I walked around the tiny town of Deleware Water Gap, mended my hat, and took a short conditioning hike recommened by the outfitter. I actually hiked south on the AT up Mount Minsie, only a mile and a half and a thousand feet up and then down for a nice 3 mile hike - kind of like climbing Mt Pete in Washington. The trail was pretty nice or maybe I was just happy to be on one again. The weather was warm and muggy but, thankfully, overcast. There were 20 or so day hikers or weekend backpackers out on the trail including one large family of Hassidic Jews. I think they were a little aghast at the old lady in the sports bra. Oh well. The only thing of note on the trail were some bright orange mushrooms I don't think I ever saw before. I am sure my body appreciates starting out slowly and it certainly appreciated the sleep. Now I have showered and eaten and it is time for sleep so I can be up at 5 and this time the shuttle will come and life will be good.
Date: 2009-08-24
From: Deleware Water Gap

To: Blairstown-Millbrook Road
Miles today: 13.6

Actually the direction was southbound today. The shuttle driver was here promptly at 6, maybe even before. He drove me out to the Bairsville-Miltown Road and I walked back to Deleware Water Gap. The morning was perfect. It was in the 60s most of the morning and a gentle breeze blew just enough to keep mosquitoes away. I saw the sun rise through the trees and the trail was peaceful and very green all around. The trail was rocky off and on all day, enough to slow progress as this old lady needs to take good care of her knee. (For those new to my journals, I got a staph infection during an arthroscopy to clean up a torn meniscus. Now I seem to have no posterior cruciate ligament and a very loose joint. I wear a metal brace and make the best of it. I canot bear much weight on a bent knee but I still managed to hike 900 miles last year. (Ha!) I need a new knee but haven't found a way for the rehab to fit my hike schedule yet.) The lovely cool morning accompanied by softly sighing wind in the trees gradually gave way to warmer temperatures along with a few pesky mosquitoes. But still, it was a lovely day. There were many day hikers out including naked sun worshippers and illegal swimmers at Sunfish Pond. I met 3 thru hikers too; Crane and Achilles and later Ikky? froom Italy, who stopped to chat with me at the lovey lunch spot at SunFish Pond. Sunfish Pond was indeed a beautiful lake. It is the southern most glacial lake on the AT. I was happy to get all 8 miles in before lunch. Some other hikers saw a bear on the trail but I did not see it. I was getting pretty weary on the downhill from Sunfish Pond but I made it back to the B&B by 4. I had a shower and took a nap before getting something to eat. The one bad thing about slackpacking is I eat too much town food, most of which is not good for me and I eat way too much of it. I only walked 13 miles, not enough to warrant the small pizza I had for dinner. It was good, though. So now I am ready for early sleep and tomorrow's hike of 14.5 miles and maybe another couple after that if I cannot get a ride to the motel. But I will get there and life will be good.
Date: 2009-08-25
From: Blairstown-Millbrook Road

To: Culver Gap
Miles today: 14.5

Today was a really nice day! I started out at 6:30 and the weather was again perfect. 60 degrees and a gentle breeze. I was hiking a fairly consistent mile and a half an hour. Now that isn't much for a thru-hiker but for an old lady with a bad leg it was pretty good. The trail was varied today - some pretty rocky stretches some up and some down and 3 nice walks on old roads. There were some very nice views from Rattlesnake Mountain and Bird Mountain. I had lunch at the view on Bird Mountain tucked into the only shady spot just big enough for me with all of the Pocono Plateau spread out before me. Beautiful! At lunch and at rest and snack stops I was impressed as I always am with the wondrous peaceful stillness. The birds sang, especially in the morning and insects buzzed and chirped. But other than that there is silence, peacefull silence and I gave thanks that I am still able to be out on the trail to experience it. I met only one hiker, a SOBO (southbound), whose trail name was Rabbit. He warned me about the possibility of a copperhead in the trail about a half mile away but when I got there he must have departed as I did not see him, I did see nice bear prints in the mud near the beginning of the hike but I saw no sign of the Bruin. I also saw, but not clearly, a large bird I startled, maybe a turkey or grouse. Later in the day on the way up Rattlesnake Mountain I saw a large, beautiful Black Snake but it was camera shy so I got no picture. Oh well. It was the day for big birds though. Also on the way up Rattlesnake Mountain I saw an eagle. It was not black enough to be a Raven and had no red head so was not a turkey vulture and had a big wingspan. The coming around the corner to a view spot overlooking Culver Lake I saw 8 turkey vultures perched on 2 large snags. Really cool! I arrived at Culver Gap and a very busy highway. Hitch hiking is illegal in New Jersey and also probably dangerous on that highway. The motel I planned to stay in was 2&1/2 miles down te highway. Nothing to do but walk, and so I did. A mile and a half later I stopped at a little restaurant across from a Dairy Queen. Alas, it was just an ice cream Dairy Queen without a grill. However it turned out to be a perfect stop. I ordered a hamburger as I had been thinking of a hamburger all the way down the trail. While waiting for my meal a couple of mature age came in and saw my pack. The guy, RV, had hiked the trail and we started talking trail talk and they took me home with them. So I am staying the night in a beautiful home instead of a deadbeat motel. What nice trail magic! And I won't have to walk back to the trail in the morning. I will have a ride. Many thanks to Ron and Jackie!!! And now I am clean and ready for bed and life is good
Date: 2009-08-27
From: High Point

To: Highway 517
Miles today: 18.5

Wow! today was a longer day than I thought. It was easy and nice trail for the most part with a rocky climb at the beginning and toward the end. I had miscounted the miles in my planning so it ended up being a couple miles longer than planned. It took me a while to get up the rocky ascent to High Point (no view from the pavilion as it was all fogged in) and I wondered how the day would go. But after the first 2 miles, as I left the Kitattiny Ridge I had been hiking on for the last 3 days, the trail turned to real trail instead of rocks. Nice! [There was a bit of up and down and some rocks too but mostly it was smooth, sometimes even flat, trail. I met Druid, a SOBO and shortly after I met 2 guys, one of which was making a video and reporting for a paper in Portland, Oregon. So Medicare Pastor got videoed and interviewed. Fun. Later on I met Cargo Pockets, another SOBO as I sat having lunch right past the Road to Unionville. The Mayor of Unionville is a major trail angel, putting people up for free and feeding them and helping out in many ways. It would have been nice to meet him but it did not fit my schedule. It really didn't fit my schedule when I looked at the map and trail description and realized the day was longer than planned. I knew I needed to hurry. There was a nice level walk around a wildlife sanctuary. I saw Herrons and other birds I could not identify and also talked to some day hikers. Then came Pochuck Mountain. It wasn't all that much elevation gain but a shock since I was doing level trail. I have to laugh too. In the west trail builders carefully route trails around or through large areas of rockfall. In the east the trail builders say, "Oh, good, a rockfall." And that IS the trail, straight up the rockfall. I made it up Pochuck and appreciated the view all the way back to High Point where I began the day. It looked a long way away for one day. As I was coming down, Bob, the proprietor of the Cider Mill B&B where I was to stay, called to see if I was alright as it was getting close to 6. That was nice of him. I told him I would be coming but later because of my mileage miscalculation. Later on I told him when I expected to be at the road and he drove up just as I walked up. This guy is terrific! He will be in the Thru-hikerks Companion next year, I think. He certainly has my recommendation. A B&B is not in every hiker's budget, but his service is outstanding. He picked me up from the trail, offered to add $10 to the bill and make me a steak dinner. Everything was done and served with perfection and just as I ordered. He is willing to serve me a scrumptios breakfast at 5:15 and he is making me a sandwich for lunch too as well as deivering me back to the trail at 6. The place is also beautifully decorated. He and his wife have just taken the place over as a B&B and are excited about it and love what they do. He gets 5 stars in my book. And now, clean and fed and feeling pampered, I am off to dreamland to get what sleep I can as tomorrow will be a long and challenging day. And life is good.
Date: 2009-08-29
From: New York 17A

To: West Point, New York
Miles today: 0.0

I actually wrote so much yesterday the pocketmail would not hold it all. Sorry about that. Yesterday, before I went very far from the creamery, Sara does indeed drive down the road although, in the dark, I could not tell it was her at first but at that point I was willing to get a ride most anywhere from anyone at all. She got out and gave me a big hug. Boy was I glad to see her! And also get the hug! And then the GPS in her car leads us down some different roads and we had to stop for half an hour because the road was blocked off for an accident. We finally get close to West Point and the GPS sends us on merry goose chases up and down the mountain sending us to closed gates into West Point and trying to have us turn left onto roads with dividers. Sara is new to West Point and doesn't know the roads and I, of course, was no help at all. A combination of a call to Andrew and a finally cooperative GPS did finally get us there and I only washed down muddy legs and feet before collapsing into bed about 1:30. Today was a rest day and I surelyy needed the rest. After showering, getting groceries with Sara and the boys and having lunch I took a 2& 1/2 hour nap and feel a little more human. Two extremely strenuous days in a row and all the adventures of yesterday were almost too much adventure for me. But tomorrow I am flying off to Maine and a date with Mount Katahdin. It is rainy up there now with hurricane activity in the Atlantic but is supposed to clear off the first of the week. I hope it does. My clothes are clean, me too, and I am ready for the next leg of my journey since this first leg didn't kill me off. And life is still good.
Date: 2009-08-30
From: West Point, New York

To: Medway, Maine
Miles today: 0.0

Today was a travel day. Sara and Andrew and the boys all drove me down to Newark. thank, you, Sara and Andrew! I said my goodbys, see you in a bit over a month, and flew to Portland, Maine. I dozed through much of the hour and a half flight but my first impression of the part of Maine we flew over was that it looked very flat (I was looking east) and very densely forested with little cutouts in the trees for houses and roads, almost like cookie cutters. We got to Portland and I took a cab from the airport to the bus and train station. Even though the plane was late I had a 2 hour wait or so. Unfortunately all there was to eat was from vending machines so lunch was peanut butter and cheese crackers and a cinnamon roll. But I had tomatoes too as Sara gave me a big container of fresh cherry tomatoes to take with me. On the bus from Portland to Bangor I had the good fortune to sit next to Gail, a woman of mature age who is a sea kayaker who has spent 30 years observing harbor seals and also whales. Cool! We both enjoyed conversation about what we were respectivly doing and it made it a very enjoyable ride. This part of Maine is pretty flat, which seems strange to my west coast eyes. But Gail pointed out Osprey nests on high tension lines and she also saw turkeys and a hawk which I was a little too slow to see. And the impression of dense forest was confirmed from the ground. At Bangor there was a quick change of buses to the bus to Medway which went uneventfully. At Medway I was met by Paul, who runs the Appalchian Trail Hostel where I was to stay and shuttles hikers to Katahdin. He called ahead to the Cafe to be sure they stayed open so I could have dinner. (8:00) By this time I was getting tired and also very aware of how little sleep I was going to get and how much I had to do so I didn't do my dinner justice but it was nice to have more than vending machine food. After eating I walked a couple blocks to the hostel, signed in, got my food drop box and fairly quickly had repacked my pack and repacked the box (now a bounce box with things I might need up the trail). I took my last shower for a while and fell into bed. I am tired but I am in Maine, near Katahdin and life is good.
Date: 2009-08-31
From: Medway, Maine

To: Katahdin Stream
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

I slept very little last night. I started having what I thought were allergy problems part way through New Jersey. I changed my allergy meds from Alegra to Zertec hoping that would help. But last night I spent the night coughing my lungs out with an unstoppable cough. My post nasal drip is driving me crazy and then things get so irritated I can't stop coughing. I got up in the middle of the night and ate a snack and fixed some hot, sweetened water to try to break the cough cycle. It did seem to help and I finally got to sleep but there were only 3-4 hours left until I got up. Oh well. I finished up a little packing and taped up the bounce box that Paul will put in the mail for me. Thank you, Paul. The Cafe opened for breakfast at 5 and I got down there about 5:30 and had a nice, big breakfast. Paul then drove me up to Katahdin Stream Campground and I checked into the reserved campsite where I will spend 3 nights. I fiddled around setting up camp and walking around a bit and then journalled a bit and rested and tried to take a nap but somehow could not get back to sleep. (I am not a morning napper unless sprawled put in my reclining chair reading the morning paper.) After I finished lunch I decided I should probably try to do something. The ranger had given me a map of a short hike around a couple of ponds. (They call lakes ponds around here. I would call them lakes. And some of these "ponds" are very large.) So I set off on a stroll. I had very little energy, just wanted to do something little. The trail to Grassy Lake looked somewhat newly made. It resembled the "Hobbit Trail" in the Federation Forest only more mogul-type ups and downs and roots. There was lots of bright green moss in the forest and it was a lovely little walk. Grassy Lake was beautful and rather large to my eyes. I sat on a log bench near the shore where there were some canoes. (You can get a key to the canoe chain at several of the lakes in Baxter Park and go canoeing.) I just sat there in the woods drinking in the sight. Lovely! After a bit I got up and proceeded onward to the trail junction. I did not feel I had the energy to go to Daicy Pond so took the loop to Elbow Pond. By the time I got there I was getting very tired. There was an older couple of strolling hikers from San Francisco there with whom I walked out to the road. I explained my hacking cough to them. I am sounding like death warmed over. When we got to the road and their car, and I was preparing to go on, I asked if by any chance they happened to have any cough drops. They did! It seems they go to the theatre often and always make sure they have cough drops with them. Thank you, thank you! I walked down the road with increasing tiredness but also with the gift of cough drops to cheer me. I can't believe how tired I am. I barely got through dinner and things prepared for tomorrow's hike. (Will I really even be able to hike?) I climbed into my bag at 6 hoping to get all the sleep I could before 4:45. If I can get some sleep, life will be good.