morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-09-10
From: Long Pond Stream lean-to

To: West Branch Pleasant River campsite
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: overcast clouds

"The Honeymoon Hikers" known individually as "Rat Man" and "Stumbler" stopped in at the shelter this morning and let me know where they planned to camp tonight. The Honeymooners first thru-hiked the A.T. In 2010. They got married on top of Springer Mountain in Georgia September 17th of last year. They plan to summit Katahdin on their one year wedding anniversary. I've been meaning to get to know these two. I've seen them off and on the last few months but this is the first time I've hiked with them. They keep up a journal on trail journals as well, the address is:http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=392798The Honeymooners usually set up a tent and camp out rather than use the shelters. I don't mind sleeping under the stars as long as it's not raining (I sent my hammock and tarp home). The forecast said clear skies before we left Monson, but it started sprinkling on the way to the campsite. When the Honeymooners arrived they asked if I had seen the trail magic sign further up the trail, I hadn't. We dropped our packs and walked down the trail. We met some folks that were just packing up, but they invited us up to their car. You'd think that there would be nobody out in the 100 mile wilderness, but that isn't so. The trail still crosses roads out here, they're just overgrown logging roads and two tracks. We were surprised to see a gravel parking lot down a short side trail from the A.T. We were served sandwiches and sodas. Really nice folks. They said they read trail journals. If you guys are reading this, I appreciated the sandwiches! That was really nice of you.Back at camp I considered what I was going to do if the light sprinkling became a downpour. I had found a piece of a tarp at the last shelter I was going to use a a ground sheet.  I folded it over and duct taped the edges together to make a bivy sack. I told the Honeymooners that if the rain got really bad I was crawling in their tent! Luckily for me (and them) the sprinkling never amounted to much and it quit after awhile.
Date: 2012-09-11
From: West Branch Pleasant River campsite

To: East Branch lean-to
Miles today: 16.4

This morning we dropped our packs and walked down the Gulf Hagas trail to look at some of the waterfalls. Later in the day I climbed White Cap Mountain where I was able to make a some phone calls and update the journal a little bit.I saw Katahdin for the first time from the top of White Cap Mountain. That was pretty cool. I took a little break up there with Rat Man and Stumbler. A hiker named "Preacher Man" showed up later. Rat Man told me to have a fire going when I get down to the shelter. He sounded pretty confident that he was going to catch some trout. When I got down to the shelter I started gathering wood. The Honeymooners showed up and set up their tent. Rat Man announced that he was going down to the river. Five minutes later he was calling for me. Sure enough he caught a brown trout. I lit the fire and went to grab my water bottle with the fishing line wrapped around it. He started yelling that he had caught another one! I walked across the river to cast my line in and he caught another! I wish I could say that I caught some too. We tried that hole some more and even waded further down the river but neither one of us caught anymore.By the time we were done fishing the fire had burned down and we had some nice coals to cook on. Those trout tasted good.I cowboy camped near the river. It was a little bit chilly inside my sleeping bag tonight. I think I need to dry out my down. That's something a thru-hiker needs to pay attention to. Your body perspires moisture every night and when you pack your bag first thing in the morning it never really has a chance to dry out. Especially when you keep your down in a dry bag like I do. The moisture just continues to accumulate and the down doesn't keep you as warm. I'm going to set my bag in the sun tomorrow before I go to sleep.
Date: 2012-09-12
From: East Branch lean-to

To: Sandy Beach( mile 2,134.1)
Miles today: 17.7

A section hiker at the shelter last night asked me what I thought of trail conditions in Maine. I answered him honestly, the conditions in Maine are the worst of all 14 states. I didn't realize that this guy was looking for a pat on the back. He said "we're only volunteers". I felt kind of bad when I realized he was a trail maintainer. Sure, there are a couple spots where someone has put in some steps or replaced a rotten bog log. But when you consider the entire 280 miles in Maine, it's extremely rugged. I had heard from the beginning that Maine was the toughest state. Now that I have walked through most of it, I agree. It's beautiful here though. It's kind of weird that this whole thing will be over soon.....We set up camp on a sandy beach that the Honeymooners knew of from their previous thru-hike. It was really nice. The sun was shining bright on this side of the lake. The water was perfect for washing up. I hung my sleeping bag and hiking clothes out in the sun. Rat Man and I started fishing along the rocks. The fish were literally hitting the bare line where it broke the surface of the water. We caught about ten little fish each. We let most of them go. I caught a small bass that I cooked. It was a lot of fun! I didn't get any pictures because... A) my phone was dry and safe in my pack while I was out on the rocks in my swimming trunks, and B) you can't tell fishing stories if you actually have pictures of how big they were : PThe beach was a great place to camp, except for one little problem. As the sun went down, fog developed around the lake. Moisture accumulated on every surface, including my sleeping bag, shoes, and anything else that was left out. Even though it was wet I stayed warm. I haven't always liked the DWR coating on my sleeping bag, but tonight I do.
Date: 2012-09-13
From: Sandy Beach( mile 2,134.1)

To: Rainbow Stream lean-to
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: broken clouds

I spent two hours drying my stuff in the sun before getting on the trail this morning. The Honeymooners talked about camping at another beach tonight, but I made a convincing argument for staying in a shelter. (I'd rather not get covered in dew again like I was this morning.)We stopped at the Rainbow Stream lean-to for the night. There is a nice swimming hole for washing up here. I pushed over a dead tree and built a big fire. It feels good to be warm and dry. This shelter has a "baseball bat" floor. There aren't many of these left with the old style floor. I didn't notice a thing with my inflatable mattress, but the guy next to me was using a foam pad. He said the only way to get comfortable was to get his spine in the low spot between the logs. They used pine boughs to cushion this type of floor back in the olden days.
Date: 2012-09-14
From: Rainbow Stream lean-to

To: The Birches
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: clear sky

One of the other hikers had left a water bag out overnight and managed to catch a mouse. The critter crawled into it during the night and drowned...good riddance. Rat Man always jokes that he got his trail name by eating shelter mice. I told him we'd have breakfast ready in a few minutes : PAs we near the end of this journey, the views of Katahdin are getting more frequent. It stands alone from the surrounding landscape. Proud and beautiful...I'm glad I decided to hike north bound....what a way to finish.We stopped at the little market across Abol bridge this afternoon. I got an icecream cone, burger, and a can of Moxie. I tried my first Moxie in Monson. Initially I thought it was the worst tasting soda I'd ever had. But by the time I finished it, I wanted another. Now I've developed a taste for this awful beverage. After lunch I got another one to pack out for the last ten miles.When we arrived at Katahdin Stream Campground we signed up for our one night in the "Birches". This area is for long distance hikers only. Most thru-hikers spend the night here before climbing the last 5 miles to the summit of Katahdin. I'm glad we are hitching a ride into Millinocket tomorrow for the "End of Trail Days Festival". The journey doesn't have to end for a couple more days. The thought has occurred to me that if I didn't have responsibilities back home, I might turn around and start hiking south after summiting Katahdin. Of course, it's easy to say such foolish things when you know that you're not actually going to do it.
Date: 2012-09-15
From: The Birches

To: End of Trail Days Festival, Millinocket
Miles today: 0.0

A trail angel and fellow hiker we met in the 100 mile wilderness picked us up at the campground this morning. The first thing we did when we got into town was stop at the Appalachian Trail Cafe for breakfast. It was like a big reunion. I'm so glad that I'm here for the festival. Hikers that have already summited are still hanging around town. It gave me the chance to see many hikers I hadn't see in awhile, including Claudia (who had helped me when I had my heart problem). I was happy to see Slow Foot at the Cafe. I figured that he had already summited. Since I didn't have service in the 100 mile wilderness, I was unable to follow his blog. I didn't realize he was injured until he pulled his leg out from under the table and showed me his walking cast! That was a surprise to say the least.After breakfast we gathered on the far side of town for the hiker parade. I'm really glad the town of Millinocket is doing this for the hikers. It felt really good to walk in the parade. Down in the park they had vendors, live music, and a bunch of crazy 2,000 milers!While I was downtown I saw a car that had a bunch of hiker stickers on it. I've seen silly bumper stickers before that say "This car climbed Mount Washington", but this car had a sticker that said "This car climbed Katahdin". I started to get sick to my stomach, are they serious? I've never been to Katahdin before. I started asking people if there was an auto road to the top of Katahdin. They started laughing at me and said "if you can find a car that can climb Katahdin, buy it!" I was relieved to find out that sticker was a joke.Before checking into the hotel the Honeymooners and I went to the Baxter State Park office in Millinocket. They were showing a 15 minute film about the history of the park. I'm glad I watched it. While setting up the park, Percival Baxter made some very specific rules about keeping it primitive and undeveloped. There will never be an auto road to the top of Katahdin, you won't even find soda machines in the park....Percival Baxter was a good man.The Honeymooners and I are splitting a room tonight. After check in "Troll" took us back downtown. We had lots of visiting with the other hikers and a nice dinner. This whole experience has been amazing.
Date: 2012-09-16
From: End of Trail Days Festival, Millinocket

To: Katahdin Inn, Millinocket
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

The Honeymooners are going out to the coast with their family today for Lobster dinner. I'm going to stay here at the hotel. I reserved my own room for tonight, but check in isn't until 3:00pm. My pilot friend is driving up from New Hampshire this afternoon. We are going to summit Katahdin, then drive back to civilization. I spent all morning catching up journal entries from the 100 mile wilderness. I must admit that I got sucked in to watching several hours of TV as well. At about noon, I walked across the parking lot to the grocery store. I bought a twelve pack of Moxie and some macaroni salad for lunch. My friend arrived mid afternoon. We bought more food to snack on and sat in the hot tub for awhile. Later we got caught up on everything that's happened in the last few weeks. Since I left, my friend has pretty much turned her house into a hostel. She said that there were 7 hikers there last night! We cooked some store bought pizzas in the microwave and watched a show about Mount Everest before going to bed. We are getting up at 4:45am in order to be at the gate right when they open the park tomorrow morning.
Date: 2012-09-23
To: Northern Michigan
Miles today: 0.0

I've been back in Michigan for 4 days now. While flying home, I noticed that the whole state of Pennsylvania has pretty much been clear cut and turned into farmland. The only area left untouched was the Appalachian Mountain range. When hiking the trail you get the impression that you're in a vast wilderness. You get a totally different perspective from the air, the narrow wooded corridor that is the A.T. is actually surrounded by civilization. I'm grateful that the terrain along the corridor is so rough that only nature has found a use for it.Driving home from Detroit was kinda weird. I was able to drive in 5 hours what would have taken me two weeks to walk. Being on the freeway with the cars, billboards, and shopping centers didn't seem right.I really enjoy the simplicity of trail life. Coming home to a house full of possessions and months of old mail is distracting. It's hard to figure out what to invest energy in first, there are no blazes to follow.While I was hiking I had thoughts of getting involved in missionary work. I was thinking about that again at church this morning. I'm comfortable living in third world conditions for long periods of time. All I need is my backpack...I want to thank everyone who was praying for me while I was out on the trail. I also want to thank the many trail angels that have shown us love and support along the way. My journey would not have been possible without all of you. I would like to hike more long trails in the future, specifically the Pacific Crest Trail. There were some things that happened on the trail that I censored out of this public journal. I'd like to include these things in a more honest and dramatic account of my hike. If you're interested please email me. In conclusion, please know that I have really appreciated your support and comments on my journal. Having readers was a good incentive for me to keep it up. Now that I'm finished, I'm really glad that I did this. I've been reading through my early journal entries and I can vividly remember every single day! I also want to thank "Leif" from trailjournals.com. Leif was always there to answer my questions. I really enjoyed using trailjournal.com to preserve the memories of this hike. If you have enjoyed trailjournals.com, consider donating a few bucks.God Bless
Date: 2012-01-31
From: still in the chair but entering gear

To: the sack
Miles today: 0.0

Spent some time inputting gear selections. Have received lots of words of encouragement from my family, friends, and my fellow co-workers in Horicon. Thanks guys...it really means a lot.My wife and I got new phones over the weekend to help with journal entries...I'm a complete Luddite...fortunately my brother-in-law instructed me on how to visually check for voice mail...man, I would have NEVER figured that out...now I get to learn to type with my thumbs..woo-hoo...as if I wasn't already bad enough at typing...now I'll be using two thumbs instead of 5-6 fingers...
Date: 2012-02-24
To: Back from the chair
Miles today: 0.0

This past Wednesday several coworkers met with me in one of the conference rooms to hear about the upcoming hike. I brought my backpack, a copy of an AT map to show the route, and a slide show that my good friends John and Anita Bilbrey put together for me. John and I started hiking and camping out 40 years ago and John has pictures going back to those days. Man, I had forgotten what a skinny fellow I was back in the day...I was both surprised and touched by the wonderful card and generous gift my coworkers presented to me along with many well wishes and questions about the trip. Thanks guys...we're all part of a big family and I'm proud to be a part of it.Let me say a bit about John and Anita...John began section hiking the AT back in 1990 and has completed the trail from Georgia up through Vermont. I've been lucky enough to accompany John along the way through parts of the journey. When he started he and Anita didn't have any children. Their daughter, Brokke, is finishing her freshman year of college. John's goal is to summit Katahdin before he turns 60. From what I know of him I have no doubt he will succeed. Anita took John's photos from our youth and put together a wonderful slide show (with music). She's done this for some of our other trips and I always get a kick out of watching them. Yep, they, too, are part of the family!
Date: 2012-03-02
From: Chair

To: Tennessee
Miles today: 0.0

Well, the time is winding down to a Sunday launch...I've packed. repacked, watched my pack's base weight go UP (dang it) whilst I pondered the wisdom of leaving my spare pair of drawers behind (no pun intended). All systems are go...my food has arrived safely in Tennessee and, of course we have a prediction of snow for today up here in "da great white Nort' dere hey"...hey, it's Wisconsin for cryin' out loud. They have rules about this - it IS still winter...My family (both relations and Deere) have given several well wishes which really stoked me up, signed the guest book (more stoked) and, heck, Gene-o and Barry even bought me a HUGE burrito yesterday for lunch which made me sleepy until the beans started workin' their "magic"...I know, I know...TMI...I said my goodbyes yesterday at work. If I missed you, know that I hope to be back soon (and hopefully successful). This turned out to be more difficult than I expected but in a good way. Sometimes a person can take their friends for granted without even realizing it. Yes, I'd like to buy a clue, Vanna!One of my goals with this trip is to lose some weight...if you find it wandering aimlessly around looking for my keister, misdirection is most appreciated. The other goal is to try and find something humorous every day.Well, that's it for today...I'm typing on a real computer so I can be my usual verbose self. Once the thumb-typing thing starts I may try "brevity" (also for battery life)...I know...it's a long shot but one must have "stretch" goals!
Date: 2012-03-03
From: Springer mountain

To: Hawk mountain shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: few clouds

Lee finally got his journey started today with about 9 miles done. Lots of people started their hike today and there are many on the trail and in the shelter he is using tonite. After many airport delays in getting to Springer Mountain, Lee was happy to be finally on the trail.He has already had an "equipment malfunction" in that his cooking stove fell apart! Being the resourceful engineer he concocted another using a "Fancy Feast" cat food can, aluminum foil and a hole punch. (total cost of new stove: $7.04, being able to cook & eat: priceless) Lee's hiking buddy John and his wife Anita Bilbrey drove him to Springer to begin his hike and got pictures of his start that I hope to post soon. Hoping Lee's new android smartphone that turns itself on doesn't drive him crazy and will not have a dead battery for most of the way.I will be posting some of Lee's entries for him and passing along "Lee's hiking tales" (written by Pam, Lee's spousal unit and resupply chief)
Date: 2012-03-07
From: Hawk mountain shelter

To: Neel's Gap
Miles today: 22.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Lee has trekked 31.7 miles from the start of the AT at Springer Mtn to Neels Gap since Sunday. He says it has been somewhat foggy and that he is not the "oldest guy on the trail". He has been hiking with "Magpie", Joey, "Deva", Jimmy and "Badger". (trail names in "quotes") He bought a new stove and had a "pack shakedown". The shakedown resulted in cutting his pack weight by 5 pounds. (they cut "do-dads and gadgets" like an extra knife). Now his pack weighs about 32 pounds. The outfitter who helped him with the shakedown said he must have really done his research because they could not lighten his load much. One hiker had his pack shakedown lighten his pack of 30 pounds of food alone. There is one hiker on the trail with a pack that only weighs 10 pounds! That small amount of weight means no cooking gear and mostly power bars for grub. That person will finish quickly or burn out quickly. It's just another style of hiking and one of many on the trail. One night Lee went to bed before dark and says he's hitting the rack by at least 7 or 730pm. He thinks he will be at Deep Gap by Sunday and will check in with me again then depending on cell phone reception. (posted by wifey Pam)
Date: 2012-03-08
From: Neels Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Lee hiked 12 miles today & he said its warm enough for short sleeves. A church last nite in Neels Gap provided "trail magic" for the AT hikers. (trail magic is defined as small spontaneous acts of kindness to larger and increasingly common planned social events, such as multi-day hiker "feeds" and the appropriateness of leaving unattended food and drink along the AT) The church hosted a free dinner for any hiker of pasta, salad and cake along with snacks of trail mix and sodas earlier in the day.   Lee hopes to make it to Hiawassee, GA perhaps by Sunday which would be a total of 70 miles from the start at Springer Mtn. (posted by Pam)
Date: 2012-03-09
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Rocky Mountain
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Lee left Rocky Mountain this morning...still on track to reach Hiawassee by Sunday. Good news: no blisters yet! only building up calluses on his big toes....(editorial comment: I think I got the trip miles corrected...Hiawassee, Ga will be 70 miles from the start at Springer Mountain. posted by spousal unit Pam)
Date: 2012-03-13
From: Rocky Mountain

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 44.0
Weather: broken clouds

Lee did make it to Hiawassee on Sunday. He spent the night in a hotel, did laundry, grocery shopped for food resupply and ate dinner at a hikers "all you can eat buffet".   When he tried to pack his new groceries he realized he should not shop on an empty stomach and bought too much food. Now he will have to eat his way to a lower pack weight (food is HEAVY and he joked that eating his pack weight down might make him a "privy hazard").   Lee made it to Carter Gap shelter Tuesday and is now in North Carolina. He did 12 miles today and is hiking with "AC" from Nashville and Roy Calhoun. He said there was a terrible rainstorm last night and that sleeping in a tent in the rain is peaceful once you just realize that everything you have is going to get wet. Lee confessed to being full of "hot air" but said it only gave him "lift but alas, no thrust". The next big goal is Franklin, NC a civilization with amenities (meaning food, hotel and more all you can eat buffets aka "hiker haven") which should be 2 or 3 days away. (posted by spousal unit, Pam) editorial comment: I got Lee's shakedown stuff in the mail and his camera fell victim to the lightening of his pack. He does have a camera on his phone but he's not prone to taking many pics with it. Total trip miles should be 98.9 which is miles from Springer Mtn. to Carter Gap, NC shelter but after editing still is not correctly computing.
Date: 2012-03-14
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

Lee has trekked his first 100 miles! He is hiking with "Skunk Ape" from FL and hiked a 16 mile day today. He is now in a nice hotel room in Franklin, NC. They decided to push the last 4 miles to get to town tonight and take a "0" day tomorrow (no hiking, chores, laundry, grocery shopping and if we're lucky maybe a few photos). Lee is very happy that his boots and 2 layers of socks, especially his "Wright" socks have kept him from getting any blisters so far. They had a few very steep up hills climbs today. Lee said he has a smiley face on his leg made of 2 mosquito bites and a scrape : )   He's growing scraggly whiskers and is shocked that they are WHITE. Hoping he will get some online time tomorrow and make his own post and get to read his guest book posts. (I do read them to him & tell him whose keeping up with his hike) Posted by spousal unit Pam