morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-07-22
From: US2 Barn Hostel

To: Carlo Col Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: scattered clouds

My first day in Maine! Yes, I've made it to Maine and it feels great. I had my picture taken at the Welcome to Maine sign and gave a couple of cheers for getting here. The day started at 5:45am. The barn had lots of hikers staying at it so I carefully carried my things down stairs. By the time I got packed it was 6:40am. I walked out front and started hitching. I had no sooner started when a fellow stopped. He was picking up Cola Bean so she could slack pack today. She wasn't ready and he was a few minutes early so he ran me back to the trail head. I was hiking by 6:53am. Most of the morning was up and down hiking. Biscuit caught up with me at the Gentian Pond Shelter and was just heading out to do 21 miles. We talked a bit and she decided she would do 17 and meet me at the next shelter.I had only gone about a half mile and could hear thunder in the background. I came around a corner and there she was. She asked if she could hike to the shelter with me. She said she hated the thunder and lighting. I said yes. It wasn't long before we were caught in the rain. It was thundering but seemed to be far away from us. Just the same we hurried up and were soon climbing Mt Success. It was a long climb and before we got to the top the rain stopped. As we climbed up we started getting these great views. It was quite spectacular. Biscuit and I just stood there and wondered how we could ever explain it to anyone or how the pictures would really do justice to what we were seeing. We both agreed we were very lucky to have the experience we are having. Coming down was another adventure. Biscuit hiked this before and said we had a steep but short rock scramble to get to the shelter. Biscuit hikes with her dog Cola and has done most of the trail with her. It was a short but steep rock scramble. In one place she went down one side of a rock and I went down the other. She was down to near the bottom but was kind of stuck with no place to go and asked if I could pull her over. I gave her my hand and pulled her over to better footing. I decided I didn't want to go that way and slid down to some rocks. We both made it to the bottom OK but Cola wouldn¢t come down. Biscuit took off her pack and climbed back up looking for her. She could hear her but could not see her. Eventually she found her but she would still not climb down where we were. I climbed half way up and she carried the dog down and handed her to me. From there she was able to walk down. I asked Biscuit if that had ever happened before. She said no that was the first time she hadn't gotten down on her own. Yes, the climb was that bad in a couple of spots.Once we got past that we came to the welcome sign to Maine. We both took some pictures and did a little cheering and gave high fives. I couldn't help but wonder who would have ever thought I would walk to Maine! From there it was on to the shelter and dinner in Maine.I got to the shelter and am sharing it with The Chairman, Goldilocks, Biscuit, 2 SB hikers and a fellow just doing Maine.
Date: 2005-07-23
From: Carlo Col Shelter

To: Speck Pond campsite
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: clear sky

The last time I did a short day like this I said it was only to avoid the rain. Well, today kicked my butt again and it was all work to get this far. I stated at 7:35am and got here at 5:15pm with only a short lunch break. The big reason was Mahoosuc Notch, the hardest mile on the trail. Today it lived up to its reputation.The first shelter was 4.4 miles from where I started today. Before leaving, Biscuit asked if she could hike with me again, she said if she fell in a ice crevice in the Notch she wanted someone there. I said sure since I was thinking the same thing. We left together and were soon climbing. Hard climb but great views again. It took us 4.5 hrs to reach the shelter. Our pace wasn't quite that slow because we stopped to take in the views, but it wasn't much faster with all the hard climbs. Eventually both Goldie Locks and The Chairman caught up with us. They decided to hike my slow pace so we could all go thru the Mahoosuc Notch together.The notch started a mile and half from the shelter. We reached the notch and started our way through it. It was much different than what we have been experiencing in the past. It is a large bolder field that is along the bottom of the notch between the two sides of the mountain. The notch is like a big V that the bottom is full of large boulders that have fallen off the side of the mountains. It has ice in it all year long down in the crevice. As you go through it you could look down between the bolder crevices and see ice. In other places the boulders are so big and piled so high that you have to crawl under them to get to the other side. At one point, I laid my hiking poles on the bolder so I could get a hand hold to get up. As I did that one of my hiking poles slipped. It fell down one of the many crevices. I said ¢Oh S***¢ and we all held our breath as the pole bounced down, one clink, a second clink and a third. I saw the first two bounces but could not see where it stopped. This was turning into a disaster. Everyone else was right behind me waiting to get over the same rock. No one said a word. Finally, The Chairman said, ¢I think that pole is gone.¢I thought the hole may be just big enough that I could squeeze in. I made my way down another level and saw my pole. I lowered myself down to it, grabbed it, and climbed out. Boy was I happy. It wasn't something I would have tried had there not been anyone to help if I got in trouble.We all made it through the notch in 2 hrs and 20 minutes. I know that everyone else could have gotten through a little faster. It was very nice that they waited for me at my slow pace so I didn't have to do it alone. If all that wasn't enough we had almost a 1500 foot climb to get here to the shelter. When I got done with the climb I was done for the day. My butt had been kicked.
Date: 2005-07-24
From: Speck Pond campsite

To: East B Hill RD. 
Miles today: 14.9

I'm doing this journal a day late. If I had done it last night it would have had one line -- Going to bed. I did the 14.9 miles and it took all day. It was filled with great views again. I got a reasonably good start at 7:15am. I was told that after the climb out from the shelter it got easier. The first climb out was more of what I've already told you about so I will not repeat it.The next part was the interesting part. It was a series of two balds on Baldpate Mountain. They were all rock that appeared to be one big solid rock flow. For most of it you had to walk up or down the rock without any hand holds or foot holds. You had to keep a low center of gravity by bending over. It¢s not that steep and climbing this way isn't too bad. You just didn't want to fall or slip.Going down is a different story. It¢s the same thing in reverse. Except here you are standing up. The rock flow was just rough enough for both the climb and descent that you had traction and a place to put you poles and make your way down slowly. I just couldn't imagine doing it in the rain. Now that would be scary.I had one more climb left as I reached the shelter. I ran into a SB hiker and he said after the climb out it was fairly flat. I decided to push on for town. It was only 4.5 miles and it was three o'clock. I got to the road to town and to my surprise it was a gravel road. It was already seven o¢clock and I'm thinking this late no one will be going down here. I wasn't going to walk the eight miles to town and started down the road looking for a place to pitch my tent. I found a place after 15 minutes of walking and sat down on the side. I figured I would wait and hope someone would come by. About 15 minutes later a car came by going the wrong way. I waved him to a stop and asked if I was on the right road. He said yes. I then asked if he was going back to Andover and he said yes after seeing a friend. He said he would give me a ride if I was still there. Things were looking up. I waited and another car came by going the right way. I put out my thumb and he stopped. He was coming back from fishing and always picks up hikers for town. He took me to the restaurant in town. I got a hamburger and fries and then eggs and bacon. I know that sounds strange, but that was about all the menu had. After that I walked to the hostel and showered then headed right to bed.I talked to Paul, the owner, and he said he would shuttle me tomorrow so I could slack pack and stay here again. That was all my knees needed to hear. Tomorrow I am slack packing!
Date: 2005-07-25
From: East B Hill RD. 

To: South Arm Rd. 
Miles today: 10.1

I was walking south today and I wasn't going the wrong way. Now, you may be asking-- why? I did my first slack packing day with a shuttle ride to get back here to the hostel.The slack packing term is when you hike without your pack, or just use a day pack. You hike to a point where you have arranged a pick up. From there you are shuttled back to the hostel where you stayed. Then in the morning, they shuttle you back to where you left off. You are still hiking the AT just without the weight of a full pack. In some cases it works out that they carry you ahead and you hike back south to be near the hostel and the pick up. That's what I did today because my knees needed a rest. They have been really sore from the Whites. This way I'm getting a much needed rest without my legs and knees carrying the full load of my pack. By going south I avoided the steep down hill I would of had if I was going north. The descents are what hurts my knees the most. It really helped today and I think I actually heard my knees cheering. It was fun carrying such a light pack. Another reason I needed to stay was I had my first equipment failure. A strap broke on my pack and I needed to have it repaired. I called Mount Rogers Outfitters where I got it and they said they needed to call the manufacture. They called me back and said it shouldn't be much of a problem. I was worried the shoulder strap would give out. They said it was separate from the broken strap. They did recommend I do some sewing to stop anymore tearing. I'll have a chance to do that tomorrow after I get back and before I carry a fully loaded pack.I noticed today that they have the same type of weather up here as we do in Florida. The forecast called for partly cloudy skies with possible rain on Tuesday. On the way to the trail head it started to rain. I started hiking without my rain gear. I finally decided if it was going to rain this hard I better put it on. Five minutes later it stopped and I took off the rain jacket. Just like Florida.
Date: 2005-07-26
From: South Arm Rd. 

To: ME 17
Miles today: 13.3

Not much happened today. I slacked packed again which made the day easy. There were some nice views and more picture taking.I'm still not sure how many miles a day I'm going to be able to do in Maine. With the constant climbs I don't think I will be able to do more than ten a day. I was told I only have two more days left of big climbs until I reach the Bigelow Range. After that it will be the 100 mile wilderness.It¢s now down to how many miles I can due over the next two weeks to determine when I'll be able to summit Katahdin. Yes, I'm starting to think about that now. I still will be taking another zero day at some point and have to take resupply days into account.At the hostel today, Stealth and Ninja showed up. They had taken some days off and are now catching up with me again. I am still two days ahead of them on the trail because I hiked ahead and shuttled back each day. They hike fast so they will catch me again soon. When everyone was sitting on the porch I told them about losing my hiking pole and how I was able to get it back. One of the section hikers said he was not so lucky. His pole slid down a crevice just like mine did, except he could not reach his. Paul did say tomorrows hike will be easy. It is mostly downhill after the first two climbs. That¢s it for tonight. Time for bed.
Date: 2005-07-27
From: ME 17

To: ME 4 Trailhead
Miles today: 13.1

It was back to the heavy pack today. I got the shuttle to ME 17 and headed north. It wasn't a long day. I started at 7:15am and reached ME 4 at 2:30pm. The trail was as easy as Paul said it was going to be. The weather report called for 30% chance of rain. On the way to the trail head we apparently drove through that 30%. I started hiking in my rain gear but the rain soon let up and I was able to take the gear off. I made good time and ran into SB hikers again. They sure have a long ways to go. I'm glad I'm at this end.After my lunch break it started raining harder, I put the rain gear back on and continued on my way. I was walking down the trail and noticed what I thought was a hiker ahead of me with a funny colored backpack. I realized I was seeing my first moose. It was the west end of an east bound moose. They go fast and are out of sight before you know it. If I had my camera out I don't know if I could have taken a picture in time.The flat terrain allowed me to get to town before the post office closed so I bounced my boxes to Monson. With the rain I decided to stay in the hostel here in Rangeley. I won¢t get things dried out today so I will just have to live with wet clothes until I reach Stratton. The rain also drove some other hikers into the hostel. Moosie and Tea Break are here along with a section hiker named Walking Man.I was hoping to hear a Loon tonight. The hostel is on a pond and has some loons around it. Bob, the owner, said we probably won¢t hear them because they don't like to get wet.Oh well, time to turn in.
Date: 2005-07-28
From: ME 4 Trailhead

To: Poplar Ridge Lean-to
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: broken clouds

I got a late start today because I had breakfast at the Gull Pond Hostel. It was just before nine o'clock before we were dropped off at the trail head. It was a day filled with more great views. The first climb of the day was up Saddleback Mountain. Once I cleared the trees it was a full 180 degree view in a southern direction. As I got higher up, the view kept expanding as I got closer to the summit. Once I reached the top it was a full 360 degree view. The day was very clear for this time of year due to the cold front passing through yesterday. If I knew what I was looking for, the guide book says I could have seen Katahdin today. I didn't know so I just looked north and knew one of the big mountains I saw could be the big K. Walking Man was there and took a couple of pictures of me on top of the mountain. The descents were still steep enough that my knees hurt again. I took some more Ibuprofen which helped a little. Walking Man and I reached the shelter at 3:38pm. I was here a few minutes ahead of him and was trying to decide if I should push on or not. It was another eight miles to the next shelter or five miles to Perham Stream where I figured I could stealth camp. Walking Man and I talked it over and decided to stay here. We both have sore knees and saw no reason to push on.The lean-to (shelter) is one of the original types. It¢s not a big shelter, only sleeping six. The big difference is the floor. The floor is what they call a baseball bat floor. The floor is made up of small logs about 3 inches in diameter laid next to each other. There is no flat or level spot anyplace in the floor. I must have been tired today since I took a two hour nap here before getting up and cooking dinner.I saw my second moose today. When we left the hostel there was one standing next to the road in a gully. Bob, the owner of the hostel, explained the gully was where the two roads meet. During the winter when they spread the salt on the road it washes down there and attracts the moose. They come down and get the salt in the summer. The camera was still packed in the backpack so I missed another picture opportunity. Tomorrow may end up being another short day. The next Lean-to is 8.0 miles away and the one after that is 18.6 miles. I would like to go past the first one and stealth camp so I have a short day going into Stratton. If the hiking isn't filled with steep descents there is a camp area at 15 miles. Time to call it a day and get an early start tomorrow.
Date: 2005-07-29
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-to

To: Crocker Cirque Campsite
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: scattered clouds

The weather is changing. The days and nights have been much cooler. The last two days have been great for hiking and sleeping. I even zipped up the sleeping bag last night for the first time in months.I got an early start and hiked out with Walking Man. He stayed with me until he reached Caribou Valley Road. He wanted to get into town today and went down that road to Stratton. The day was so pleasant that I even passed by this really nice stream calling my name for a dip today. I don't think it made it much higher then the low 70's today and it was certainly cooler at elevation. The hottest I got was coming down into the Caribou Valley and I wasn't hot enough to take a dip.My food supplies are starting to dwindle. I have my breakfast foods, a pack of crackers and candy bar for tomorrow and one extra Lipton meal left. There weren¢t any great views today. I did spend time looking for Katahdin or at least some more mountains to cross.When Walking Man and I were talking last night at the shelter he said that in the first eighty miles of Maine we had crossed something like 21 peaks. In the next 70 miles we are only crossing 7. I hope that starts translating into higher miles. Time for some extra sleep. I don't think I'll have any trouble falling to sleep as I lay here yawing.
Date: 2005-07-30
From: Crocker Cirque Campsite

To: ME27 Trailhead
Miles today: 7.3

Today was a short day so I get to town and resupply for the 100 Mile Wilderness. I decided it was better to bounce a box of food to Monson vs. getting it there and not having what I needed. The guide book says it¢s not a good town to resupply. This way I'll have what I want and not be worried or carrying things I may not like to eat.The day was very nice for hiking. I think it will be a shock to my system once I get back to the hot Florida weather. I only needed to do 7.1 miles today and found the climbs easy. I was passing two couples just after the summit for North Crocker Mountain and they asked where I started. They got all excited and offered their congratulations and started clapping and cheering me on. When I got to the hostel I found Cotton Joe and Tea Break here. Tea Break said he and Moosie did 24 miles and got here yesterday. Moosie is taking a zero today but Tea Break hiked out late this afternoon with Cotton Joe. I didn't bother to wash my clothes while here, because rain is forecasted for Sunday thru Tuesday. I'll just deal with it and try to make it to shelters. It will be a challenge. I will need to do 15 miles tomorrow but at least I'll have a light pack. I did bring one extra meal and some snacks just in case the rain holds me up.Time for bed.
Date: 2005-08-03
From: Blad Mtn Lean-to

To: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: broken clouds

Today was an easy day. The hike followed the river for most of the way. We did have to forge it, but it was fun. I tried to sleep in but was the first one up. I just laid there and thought about my hike trying to remember as much as I could and just relaxing. The day¢s plan was for 13 miles with Stealth and Ninja doing to do the same.Everyone started getting up between 7:00 and 7:30. We were all slow in packing and eating breakfast but were hiking by 8:00. The B's who were at the shelter are planning on doing 22 miles into Monson. They have family that are coming to meet them at Katahdin and are planning on summitting on the 9th or 10th. They are both young enough that they should make that deadline without any problem.I had great views of mountains and the ponds. I also heard some Loons again and listened to the river as we walked next to it. There were great views going up Mt. Bald. There were also lots of blueberries to pick and eat. Plus I had the company Stealth and Ninja.We all reached the first shelter 4.1 miles from where we started. We all ate lunch at a picnic table and then relaxed for a while. Ninja went down to the pond and laid on a rock and listened to the Loon's. Stealth took a nap in the shelter and I reviewed my journals. We spend an hour and half just doing nothing. It was quite a change from our normal routine of hiking all day just to make a shelter. I was the first one to reach the West Branch of the Piscataquis River. There was no way across without forging it. I waited about 15 minutes for Stealth and Ninja who were right behind me and they never showed up. I figured I must have missed a high water bypass and they had seen it and went that way. I started back and had gone about a quarter of a mile when I saw there hiking poles. They had decided to take a snack break and were eating. I told them about the river crossing and they finished eating and off we went.The crossing was not as deep as I first thought. At the deepest it was just over our knees. You still had to be careful not to fall on slippery rocks with your pack on. We all made it across without falling.We followed the river to the shelter. While we followed the river we had many different views. The whole time you could hear the river over the rocks as we walked along. It was a pleasant way to end the day. Even at the shelter you could still hear the river.I still was tired from the long day before, and I went to bed without dinner. I ate some snacks, a candy bar, and drank some Gatorade and called it a night.
Date: 2005-08-04
From: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to

To: Shaw's Hostel
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was an another easy day. I only needed to do 9.0 miles on what was fairly flat terrain. Stealth and Ninja hiked in with me and were met by Ninja¢s parents. His parents weren't there yet and were not expected for about 15 more minutes. There was another hiker attempting to hitch so I joined him. We got a late start again and made our way down the trail. We had another forge after the first couple of miles. This time the water was a little lower. Ninja went across bare footed so I decided to do the same. Walking carefully we both made it across without incident. At one point we stopped and took a break. Stealth pointed out a porcupine while we hiked and I got some pictures of him. I'm staying at the Shaw Hostel and plan taking a zero day tomorrow. The lady who picked me up in Stratton said she had a son or brother who had a bar-b-q restaurant here in town. When I got to the hostel Cotton Joe was here along with some other hikers. One was Sleeping Beauty. I had seen her name in registers but never caught up with her. She was going out that afternoon. Cotton Joe recommended the BBQ place so I had lunch there. It was excellent, so I had two lunches. I also made it back there for dinner.I picked up my bounce boxes at the post office after lunch. I needed to sort everything out, recharge my camera battery, and pack some more things I don't need for now. This was another sign that the adventure is coming to an end. With that all done I walked to the library and checked out my emails then came back and took a short nap.After dinner I made calls to Yvonne and Stephen and sent some emails. I soon got ready for bed but not before signing up for the famous breakfast here at Shaw's. It¢s either 1x1, 2x2, 3x3 or 4x4. Those are the number of eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, or french toast you get with the hash browns. I opted for the 3x3. That much food that should fill me up. They will always give you more if you want.