morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2005-09-14
From: Poplar Ridge Lean-To

To: Sugarloaf Mt. Ski Hut
Miles today: 10.9

                     Today is our 5th month anniversary10.9 miles            9/14/05         sunny to cloudy         day 154Not the best of sleep.One of the hikers in the shelter last night was cutting a lot of wood ( snoring ). On the trail late today 9:00 am. Did not want to get out of the bag after the hard day we had yesterday. Today we had some big climbs. Climbing over Lone Mt. & Spaulding Mt. No views to cloudy. Wish I had some sun missing so much. Hiked by a neat brook for about a mile . There is so much rock in Maine even in the streams & ponds. In a few spots the water is flowing over very large slabs of rock & it has worn it away so much that it looks realy cool. Tonight we will be staying on top of Sugarloaf ski Mt. In the summer some of the ski mts. leave the warming huts open for us hikers to use. We had hoped to see a sunset off over the mts. but all we got to see was clouds (again). I hate to say it but the clouds are starting to get to me . Seems like we see them more then the SUN. Had a great dinner tonight & got some paper work done too. Lets hope for a good day tomorrow in Maine. Hope you all are doing o/k out there. Will be home soon to see you all & start fixing your plumbing again. Talk to you later. GOOD NIGHT   198.4 miles to go !!!!
Date: 2005-09-15
From: Sugarloaf Mt. Ski Hut

To: White Wolf Inn , Stratton, ME.
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: light rain

9/15.05               I hate when I fall in the MUD10.6 miles   1987.2 total miles Day 155      rain & more rain   hostelo/k night of sleep. I woke up a few times from the wind & rain plus the roof leaked so you heard the drops hitting the floor. Started the hiking today in the rain & ended the hiking today in the rain. Had a long down off of Sugarloaf Mt. 1st thing today & with the rain it means wet rocks & wet rocks means I go very slow.Had a good size stream crossing. I was able to find rocks to cross it on. Still have not had to ford a river yet in Maine. They say we will have to. Not sure if that will be fun the water is some cold and the rocks are very slippery. Had to climb up and over Crocker Mts today both were 4000' Mts. So yes that meant big ups and downs again. Tomorrow we climb the Bigelow Mts and they will be the last of the real big climbs we have. The last 5 miles were not to bad at all. I did start to push myself a little to hard and I could feel it in in my feet. I wanted to get done hiking because we are going into the town of Straton ME for the night. I try to get in as early as I can so I can relax some after our chores are done. Does not look like I will have much free time today. Will get a shower and real food. Life is Good. Hellow to you all at home. Mr. Young are you watching over East Sandwich I hope. Will be home soon. 187.8 miles to go.
Date: 2005-09-16
From: White Wolf Inn , Stratton, ME.

To: Safford Notch Campsite
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

1997.6 miles                                                   9/16/05 Friday                                                            Day 156 Cloudy-Rain                                                                  Tent                  "I Wish I Could See Off The Mt"O/K night of sleep-A little tossing and turning I think it was because of planning to meet up with Sister Buzz,"Down Hill" and our youngest son Kevin. Sept 24th I will see Sister Buzz again. When I see her I will know the hike will almost be done. It is such a wierd feeling now knowing we are so close to the end. O/K today's hike was up and over the Bigelow Mts. We had a 3000' climb which was not to bad. Again the trails were in good shape. One spot on the trail I really liked. All rock climb and it was in a pine forrest with the best of smells. On top of the 3 summits we hit today we had no view at all well maybe 15' from you. I do not have much luck on those Mt views. All I am hoping for is a great clear day when we hit the Big K [Mt Katahdin] We had a long 2 mile down with a 2000' drop off our last summit today. The downs still hurt my foot. I will make it don't you worry. Camping tonight in a really neat rock filled notch as of 7:30 p.m. we are the only ones here. Yes and it just started to rain. Good thing is we did not have to hike in the rain today or cook in it. Already in our tent when it started. Lightning and I are trying to plan out our miles and we're to stay till we hit the Big K. Well lets hope the rain stops by morning. We hit the 2000 mile mark tomorrow 177.4 miles to go
Date: 2005-09-17
From: Safford Notch Campsite

To: West Carry Pond Lean -To
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: light rain

2009.8 miles                                                   9/17/05 Saturday                                                            Day 157 Rain-Rain                                                                  Shelter               "We Hit 2000 Miles Today"O/K night of sleep-Rain all night and yes raining all day. Hiked up and over Little Bigelow Mt first thing today. The trails are getting bad with mud. It slows you down. Also we heard more rain for a while. All you can do is walk in the rain. I do miss having my music. I wish Best Buy worked with Sister Buzz better. I do not like to deal with those big super stores. Give me a Mom and Pop store any time. Not sure how it will be when we get home. Life is so easy out here do not have to deal with those big stores just the little country type stores. Alright the hike was just a hike today. Nice shelter tonight on West Carry Pond. Going to make dinner and get to bed early tonight. Almost a 20 mile day tomorrow. Also we will be crossing over the Kennebec River so that should be fun. Good night to all. P.S. The B.U. Boys caught up to us great to see them again. P.S.S. We hit the 2000 mile mark today and that felt good. Good for the mind.
Date: 2005-09-18
From: West Carry Pond Lean -To

To: Pleasant Pond Lean-To
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: overcast clouds

2029.5 miles                                                   9/18/05 Sunday                                                            Day 158 Rain-Rain                                                               Shelter               "Here Moosie Here Moosie Where Are You?"O/K night of sleep. Up early to head out. One of the first on the trail today. 10 miles to the first shelter and I made great timing. Still no Moose. Lightning did see another one today. Still have about 150 miles so lets hope. Saw a few more Sobo's on the trail today and I think [I know] that I am glad to be going north and not having as many miles as they do to finish. Got to the Kennebec River today and Lightning was on his way across. To get across the river you take a canoe ride with Steve the ferry man. Steve has been helping hikers for many years and over 16,000 of us he has brought across the river. Lightning and I then went with Steve for a food resupply at his store. Then back to the trail for 6 more miles in the dark to the shelter. Great to see no one was there so at 8:30 we had dinner then off to the sleeping bag. Good day today-Yes I did get ice cream at the resupply. Talk to you soon.
Date: 2005-09-19
From: Pleasant Pond Lean-To

To: Moxie Bald Lean -To
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: scattered clouds

2042.6 miles                                                   9/19/05 Monday                                                            Day 159 Rain To Sun                                                                  Shelter               "Maine The Way Life Should Be"Good night of sleep I was tired. Only had 13 miles today but had two climbs to do. up to the summit of Pleasant Pond Mt. and after a late start this morning we had lunch on top of the Mt. We did have some sun so it felt great to just lay back and be warm. Did dry some of our gear as we ate lunch. Still loving Maine the Mt summits with the rock tops are great. The smell of the fir trees are great. I could just sit and smell them all day. Just starting to see a little color changes in the leaves not much but I am sure it will get better as we get more north. Up and over Moxie Bald Mt a little rough in a few spots but I am o/k I made it. My foot still hurts some but it is a lot better. At this point both my feet hurt at the end of the day. Got to the shelter and there were a few section hikers there and Lightning. Got my chores done and a great dinner. Looking forward to getting into Monson so off I go to get some rest 18 mile day tomorrow. A little worried about fording the rivers.
Date: 2005-09-20
From: Moxie Bald Lean -To

To: Shaws Hostel == Monson, ME.
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: haze

17.9 miles   2060.5 total miles      day 160 Cloudy - Rain   Hostel            "Life is a good magical life"Good night of sleep. Up early to get the miles done early so I will have longer time in town to get my chores done. About 18 miles today but no big climbs so it should not be to bad. We did have 3 river fords today. Lets see a river ford is when there is no bridge over the stream & you have to walk across the stream. I was a little worried about it . I have herd of a few hikers falling & that would not be good at all. All that wet gear in your backpack would not be any fun to dry out. GOOD news I made it across all 3 O/K. Not as bad as I thought it would be. I just went slow & steady. I did take off my hiking boots & put on my camp shoes so my boots would not get wet. After the 3nd stream there was trail magic. Just what I needed !!! The 1st magic we had since Rock Dancer"s magic in Crawford Notch, NH. It was at the right time & right place. With all the rain, mud & long miles I needed it.I sat down & had myself a ice cold Root Bear. I took a orange for later. Six miles to go so I said to myself when I got half of them done I would take a break & have the orange. You don't know how good it tasted. Life is GOOD. Off to Shaws Hostel I went with 3 more miles to go & there was plenty of mud & wet rocks so I felt right at home. Got into town obout 5:00 pm. The neat thing was I got a ride from a Plumber. Cleaned up & off to dinner we went with Fish&Game Plus Bubble Boy two hikers we met. After dinner we did our food resupply. Back to the hostel to eat my ice cream. Late night tonight 11:00 pm by the time I put my head down on the pillow (yes a real pillow hostels are GREAT) Talk to you all again real soon.      114.5 miles to go
Date: 2005-09-21
From: Shaws Hostel == Monson, ME.

To: Long Pond Stream Lean-To
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: broken clouds

2075.6 miles                                                9/21/05 Wednesday                                                                  Day 161 Sun                                                                  Shelter               "Hope I Don't Get Lost In The Wilderness"O/K night of sleep not the best. I think I ate too much ice cream before I went to bed. Well Shaws Hostel gives you breakfast and what a breakfast it was. I went for the 3x3 everything x 3-eggs-french toast-sausage-bacon-and home fries. It is amazing out here all you think about is food. Today is a special day for the thru hikers we start the 100 mile wilderness. It is 114 miles long hike and before there was no place to get a food resupply so you would have to carry all your food. Now there is the White House Landing in the middle where you can resupply. Off on the trail at 9:00. Same old thing roots-rocks and mud. It is so hard to see all these beautiful ponds and streams and walk right by them. It would be nice to have the time to relax and hang out by a few of them. 3 river fords today. The water level has gone down some so it only got up to my knees. One of the fords we did today a few days ago took a few people down stream. A older man named Kokomo got off the trail because of it. Too bad so close to the end and he ends his hike. Only a few more days till Sister Buzz flies in. Oh what a happy day that will be.          99.4 miles to go
Date: 2005-09-22
From: Long Pond Stream Lean-To

To: Trailside Camping By West Branch Of Pleasant River
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: clear sky

                                                            9/22/05 Thursday                                                         Day 162 Cloudy-Rain                                                               Tenting            "I Will Not Miss Mac&Cheese"O/K night of sleep a little cold. Yep it happened my food bag was robbed. It got my peanuts and a pack of ramen noodles. Now I have a nice hole in my food bag. Poor Doc Narley did not sleep well he does not have the best of sleeping bags. I have been telling Sister Buzz it has been warm and now that she is coming it starts to get colder. I hope she has some warm stuff with her. The trail today was good. Only had to ford one river and that was at the end of the day. It is a good way to wash your feet I guess. The hike today took us over the Barren Chairback Range. It was a long and hard range with 5 Mt summits that meant 5 climbs and 5 downs. Oh my feet and knees do feel it. The range was about 11 miles long. Oh yeah you guessed it right since we were on a Mt we had no views but did have the clouds and rain. Only one more day of the hiking over Mts then the rest of the hiking will be flatter lands of the wilderness. Over all a good day. Had my Mac&Cheese dinner and now off to the sleeping bag I go. If all goes well to plan our hike will end in one week. We are watching the mice running all around us.   84.1 miles to go
Date: 2005-09-23
From: Trailside Camping By West Branch Of Pleasant River

To: East Branch Lean-To
Miles today: 16.3

                                                               9/23/05 Friday                                                       Day 163 Rain-Cloudy-Sun                                                               Shelter         "I Feel Like a Kid Playing In The Mud"Good night of sleep by the river in our tent. rain all throughout the night with a little in the morning. Up early to try to get more miles in today. The mice did not get our food bags. All right. Before we worried about the bears getting our food now it is the mice and red squirrels. On the trail at 7:30 a.m. Four climbs today with 1750' the biggest the others are around 750' today was the last day of big climbs for our hike until we hit the Big K. Only saw 2 hikers today the woods are getting lonely. Still had plenty of mud today my boots have not been dry since Suger Loaf Mt. My feet are in the worst shape of the whole hike. The skin is so soft you wear it right off. The hike today was good. Got a few views today but the best one was Katahdin. Yes I saw it for the first time of my life and it felt Good. Lots of tree roots and rocks to slow you down. Did get in 16 miles even with all the climbs and downs. Tomorrow I have almost 20 miles to meet up with sister Buzz but that is alright. Those 20 miles will go by fast. When I see her the weird thing is I will be going home with her this time.    67.8 miles to go.
Date: 2005-09-24
From: East Branch Lean-To

To: Potaywadjo Spring Lean-To
Miles today: 19.5
Weather: clear sky

                                                               9/24/05 Saturday                                                               Day 164 Sunny                                                                  Shelter         "Thank You!! Down Hill"O/K night of sleep-woke up a few times thinking about meeting up with everyone. Got up a little later than I wanted to but such is life. When you are tired you sleep longer. On the trail around 8:30. 17 miles to get to the meeting place. Sister Buzz and our youngest son Kevin is coming up with our friend Down Hill [Norm Otto]. The neat thing is they are flying in on a float plane and landing on Lower Jo-Mary Lake. Plane is to land around 4:15 p.m. So off I go. I have less than 8 hours to get in 17.5 miles. Today the miles went by real fast. I think because I have family and friend on my mind plus the trail was very easy. The trail again was beside a stream. got to the first shelter around 11:15 a.m. and had a early lunch. Hiking makes me happy. Great news got to Jo-Mary Lake around 3:15 p.m. Beautiful sandy beach with sun so I took off my boots and socks and layed them out to dry. Then I just layed back and relaxed it felt great. Bad news the plane was 1 hour late so I was getting worried something happened or I got the meeting place wrong. Cool to see the plane land and even cooler to see everybody. Today was a great day. sister Buzz brought our food resupply for the next 5 days so now I have a very heavy pack 48.3 miles to go. P.s. I heard that Kokomo got back on the trail
Date: 2005-09-25
From: Potaywadjo Spring Lean-To

To: wadleigh Stream Lean-To
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: scattered clouds

                                                               9/25/05 Sunday                                                               Day 165 Cloudy               "Camp Fires Warm You All Over"O/K night of sleep-a lttle cold still. Did not get up until 9:00 a.m. that is the longest night of sleep I have had in a long time and it felt great. 10 miles today of flat lands. Great to be with Thunder and Sister Buzz. My miles today went by so much faster today with her. No real climbs today but it seemed like we were beside a pond or stream the whole time. Maine is such a great state to hike in. The trail crews do know where to put the trails with great views. Thank you MATC. Had a nice lunch on a little hill looking down on the Nahmakanta Stream. Life is so nice and simple out here. Did catch up with Down Hill after lunch. He told us to read a sign on the tree and yes you guessed it. Trail Magic ahead. 2 hikers from 2003-Java and Jepardy had put up the sign. so off we went. I got a few hot dogs-candy and 2 drinks. Sister Buzz and Down Hill got a drink and some marshmallows. Talked a little and off on the trail we went 2.6 miles left to hike. Nice easy trail walk around a lake to the shelter. Sister Buzz got a great camp fire going. Great to be in the woods. Thunder picked up a one pound hamburger for me at the White house Hostel so that was my dinner. Finished up my chores and off to bed I go.    See you all real soon. 38.2 miles to go
Date: 2005-09-26
From: wadleigh Stream Lean-To

To: Rainbow Stream Lean-To
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: light rain

                                                               9/26/05 Monday                                                                  Day 166 Rain                                                                  Shelter            "Chipmunks Watch Out"Great night of sleep. Even if it did rain. Slept in a little today. These low miles are great. We took our time hiking. I have really enjoyed these last few days. Did past by Bumpkin and Paper Maker today Bumpkin is finishing her hike today. Saw Africa and Vision Quest too. They were hiking south for a few days.They went ahead and climbed Katahdin so that they had a class 1 day. They said it was great. I hope so bad that we have a clear class 1 day too. All these miles to hike just give us a great day. Got to the shelter to find Down Hill there. He was going to stay in the shelter tonight and not set up his shelter. Lightning and Thunder showed up about 1 hour after us. I am so happy that Thunder came up to hike. I think Lightning is enjoying hiking with him. I am and it means a lot to me to have him with us. The hike today was again great. trails great shape and only one little up. Dinner is calling me so off I go to get water and then cook my dinner. Only a few more days on the trail it is so hard to believe our trip is coming to a end            30.1 miles to go
Date: 2005-09-27
From: Rainbow Stream Lean-To

To: Hurd Brook Lean-To 
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

                                                               9/27/05 Tuesday                                                               Day 167 Sunny                                                                  Shelter            "Now I am Going To Miss The Trail"O/K night of sleep-the mice kept me up. Great hike today. The sun was out. A little bit of a wind but the sun was great. The trail was the same rock-roots and mud. Sister Buzz is such a great hiker she travels along with great speed but the nice thing is she knows where to stop. Some people I have hiked with over the years fall and stumble all day long. With Sister Buzz we just hike along at a nice pace. Stopped on Rainbow lake and had a fine lunch with Down Hill. I can't thank Down Hill enough for planning and hiking with us. It has been great to have friends come out to see us and hike with us. It is all part of the AT experience. Tonight at the shelter there is only us and Not Guilty here. It is a bit hard to read the register without letting a few tears go. All our friends that we now have are giving there final thoughts and good byes to each other. I knew this time would come but why so soon. Only one more night on the trail after tonight. I have so many feelings going on right now it is getting harder to write. I am going to miss the trail life more than you can imagine. Love you all.   18.6 miles to go
Date: 2005-09-28
From: Hurd Brook Lean-To 

To: Katahdin Stream Camp Ground
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: few clouds

                                                            9/28/05 Wednesday                                                               Day 168 Sunny                                                                  Shelter            "So Many Trails Not Enough Time"O/K night of sleep-no mice. Our last regular day on the trail. So sad. What a day it was our first 3 1/2 miles flew by. Got to Abol Bridge and saw one of the best views yet of Katahdin and it might be our best. The weather forcast does not look good. At Abol general store got to see Thrifty. He had summited the day before and he still was smiling. Got some food to eat but I forgot to get an ice cream. I think all I have on my mind is climbing the Big K. Off we went into Baxter State Park and what a beautiful hike it was Sister Buzz and I both agree it was some of the best we did. Waterfalls-ponds-streams it was just a fabulous day in the woods. The day went by so fast. When we got to Katahdin Stream Camp. Down Hill had already checked us in [Thank you] so all we had to do was set up camp. I checked in with the ranger and I signed in as a thru hiker #351. Still know how to yogi though. I got a pack of English Muffins off of some campers. Off to get the chores done. Dinner and then try to get some sleep in before the big day in the morning.      5.2 miles to go