morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-08-18
From: Pierce Pond Lean-to

To: US Route 201, Caratunk ME
Miles today: 4.0

The loons sang to us frequently throughout the night, and it made for a peaceful sleep. Everyone slept in late this morning. It had rained most of the night, but that is not the reason for sleeping in. We have a river crossing in four miles--a canoe ferry across the Kennebec River. The canoe is an official part of the trail. It even has a white blaze painted on the bottom of the canoe. The ferry does not start operating until 9:00 am so there's no need to get there early and simply wait. Most people left around 7:00 and arrived at the river just before 9:00. About a dozen of us waited to get transported from the south to the north shore of the river. We all signed liability paperwork and we then paddled across two at a time. As soon as we crossed, we came to US Route 201. The Caratunk Hostel was only a couple of tenths of a mile off trail. We will rest and resupply here for the evening. We will enjoy a big breakfast here before we walk to the trail head in the morning. We see rain in the forecast for tomorrow, but at least we should have full bellies and be better rested.Good night all.
Date: 2019-08-19
From: US Route 201, Caratunk ME

To: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 14.7

We ate a great breakfast at the hostel. Something other than pancakes. It was great.It stopped raining just before we returned to the trail head this morning. We had to go up and over Pleasant Pond Mt and Middle Mt. they were not too bad because they were not high in elevation and they were not excessively steep. We eventually made it to Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to. After being at the shelter for 30 minutes, it started raining again. It rained for a couple of hours. The shelter is full and many of the surrounding camp sites are taken. I am in the shelter in an attempt to keep my gear dry. Getting ready for a full day tomorrow. Good night all.
Date: 2019-08-20
From: Bald Mountain Brook Lean-to

To: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to
Miles today: 13.0

Today was a very nice hiking day. The sun was out, the terrain was not bad and the temperatures were mild. The only problem, I would say that it was my worst day on the trail. Why? I wasn¢t feeling good when I woke up and I had to force myself to hike. Forcing a hike resulted in lots of effort to make it through the day. After summiting Moxie Bald Mt. I went down to the Moxie Bald Lean-to and took a short nap. This helped get me through the rest of the day.We had to ford two creeks today. One of the water sources had a rope across the water to allow the hiker to hold themselves upright as they forded.By the time that I arrived at Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to, I was ready for another short nap. Again, these seem to help. I set up my tent, made supper and plan to go to bed early tonight. Good night all.
Date: 2019-08-21
From: Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to

To: ME Route 15 - to Monson ME
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: overcast clouds

After a good night of sleep, I felt good again. Whatever made me feel so bad yesterday has passed. We had approximately a nine mile hike to the road crossing to get to Monson ME where we are booked at Shaw¢s Hiker Hostel. The hike was not bad at all and I made good time over the relatively flat terrain. As I reached the parking area at ME Route 15, I waited for "Lucked In" to arrive. After about 15 minutes, a guy pulled up in his pickup and asked if he could take me anywhere. As I was talking to him, "Lucked In" came out of the woods, so we had our ride to Shaw¢s. It turns out that we had met this fella a couple of weeks ago when he was section hiking and we had talked with him.While settling in at Shaw¢s, I met some hikers that I had not seen since VA, way back on May 9. They were "Sandwich Child" and "Redneck German". These were the guys that entertained everyone that evening as they tried to get "Redneck German¢s" bear bag removed from a tree limb. They did not recognize me due to my weight loss and beard growth. After showing them the pictures that I took back on May 9, they remembered me and that evening.We got ourselves and our clothes cleaned up. We walked to a nearby store and got food to eat for the day. We're planning a zero day tomorrow before we head into a section of the trail called the 100 mile wilderness. If cell phone service is as it has been on the trail in Maine, the journal entries for today and tomorrow could be the last posted until I finish the trail at Katahdin, so don't be surprised if there is a delay in postings after tomorrow. We have no fixed date for our Katahdin summit, and will make that call as we get closer.I have a full belly and I am getting ready for bed. Good night all. Nice to be in a bed again.
Date: 2019-08-22
From: Zero in Monson, ME

To: Zero in Monson, ME
Miles today: 0.0

Today we rested, did our resupply for the upcoming section and rested some more. We expect the next section to be the longest on the trail without any towns. Hopefully these next several days will go as planned. I have had exactly six months (180 days) to prepare. It's time to rest some more.Reminder that journal updates will likely be delayed due to the poor phone service in this section of the trail.
Date: 2019-08-23
From: ME Route 15 - to Monson ME

To: Long Pond Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 15.1

After breakfast and a shuttle ride back to the trail head, we began our hike in the 100-Mile Wilderness. The terrain was relatively flat, however the usual roots and rocks were constantly present. We hiked past at least four different ponds. All of different shapes and sizes. We crossed multiple streams and brooks. Three had to be forded. I did not even bother to remove my socks and shoes. They were already muddy. This simply helped to keep them cleaner.I saw my first deer today since my last sighting in Massachusetts. I also saw a beaver. I took pictures. And after putting my phone away, I actually walked within 20 feet of it. It didn¢t like that. It would grind its teeth as I passed.I made it to Long Pond Stream Lean-to by mid afternoon. Only three of us here at this shelter tonight. I am in my tent.The first day in the 100-Mile Wilderness is done. Good night all.
Date: 2019-08-24
From: Long Pond Stream Lean-to

To: Chairback Gap Lean-to
Miles today: 10.9

We had five mountains to cover today. Some had moderately steep uphills and downhills, and the roots were constantly keeping you focused on foot placement. The mud is something that is also present each day.It was exceptionally slow today due to the foot placement issue, especially on the uphills and downhills.I ran into a hiker this afternoon traveling southbound. His trail name is "Ugh". I hiked with him occasionally back in Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee. I had heard that he was weeks ahead of me. He told me that he had to get off trail for three weeks and he is returning, doing a Flip-Flop. He had 700 miles until he finishes. I had not seen him in months. He did not recognize me due to my weight loss and beard growth. I wish him well on his finish.I made it to Chairback Gap Lean-to by early afternoon. It was one of the few times that I made it to the shelter before "Lucked In". I set up inside the shelter and ate a late lunch. Others are expected to arrive before nightfall.Settling in for the evening. Good night all.Special Note: Happy Birthday to Mom (Lady Smurf).
Date: 2019-08-25
From: Chairback Gap Lean-to

To: Logan Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 17.1

To start the day, we had to finish hiking up Chairback Mountain. It was not so bad because we were hiking on fresh rested legs. There was a surprise however on the downhill side of the mountain--a boulder field that had to be addressed. It was steep and full of large boulders. It was nice that we only had to hike it for just a few minutes and then it was done. For the first half of the hike it was relatively easy to handle. After eating lunch at Carl Newhall Lean-to it got a little more challenging, but nothing we could not handle. There were four mountain summits we had to tackle today: Gulf Hagas, West Peak, Hay and White Cap. Approximately 300-400 yards after summiting Gulf Hagas Mountain, I was approached by a hiker from the southbound direction and he told me that there was a moose up ahead. Sure enough there was a cow moose approximately 20 yards off the trail in some thick brush. She simply stood in one place and looked around as we talked and took pictures. Because of the thick brush, I could not get a good angle for pictures. At one time I was within 15 yards of her. I finally got to see a moose, up close too!We hiked up and over the remaining mountains. At the summit of White Cap Mountain there was a side trail that presented northbound hikers their first viewing of Katahdin. I went over and took a couple of pictures. On the way off the summit, I almost stepped on a garter snake sunning itself on the rocks. I stepped back quickly when I realized that it was a snake. At that point it was less than a mile down to Logan Brook Lean-to. We have four people in the shelter, one in a hammock and two of us in tents. Everyone rushed to eat supper and then curl up in our bags for the evening. Temperatures are in the 50¢s this evening. A little cooler than usual. It is 7:00 pm and everyone is settled in for the evening. Good night all.
Date: 2019-08-26
From: Logan Brook Lean-to

To: Cooper Brooks Falls Lean-to
Miles today: 11.7

Everyone woke up to a cool, brisk morning. I slept in later than usual, and hit the trail at 6:45 am. Now that we are over White Cap Mountain, the terrain is gradually starting to flatten out a little bit. We only had a couple of small uphills today. Everything else was relatively flat or slightly sloping downhill. It was a short hike today, but I feel a little drained from all the climbs yesterday. We made it to Cooper Brooks Lean-to around noon. At that point, I prepared and ate my lunch. Because no more miles were planned for the day, I took a brief nap. We are resting for the longer mileage day tomorrow.By 6:00 pm, the shelter was full, there were two hammockers, and four of us tenters. We could get more arrivals before the evening is done.Good night all.
Date: 2019-08-27
From: Cooper Brooks Falls Lean-to

To: White House Landing
Miles today: 14.0

I was on the trail by 5:45 am. We had 14 miles to travel today to get to White House Landing. We arrived at the boat dock for White House Landing by 12:00. It was a relatively flat trail today, just the usual rocks, roots, mud and wooden planks.When we got to the boat dock, there were instructions to call or text the B&B/Hostel. They come from across the lake by boat to pick you up. The boat arrived and was driven by the owner, Bill. He took us across the lake to the hostel. We checked in, got resupply, took a shower and washed our clothes. This place is so remote, there is no electricity. The hot water was heated by gas hot water heaters. The clothes washing was done old school style. A hand pump for water from the lake into a wash basin where the clothes were hand scrubbed on a wash board. After washing, clothes were hung on a clothes line. This place may sound primitive, but it is quite nice, in an excellent location on the lake.At 5:00 pm, supper was made. I had a large pizza, while others had burgers and fries. We all sat around chatting for a while and headed to the bunkhouse as it started to get dark.Everyone is settling in for the night. No lights in this bunk house. Breakfast is scheduled for 7:00 am tomorrow morning, so I get to sleep in.Good night all.
Date: 2019-08-28
From: White House Landing

To: Rainbow Stream Lean-to
Miles today: 15.6

We had a big breakfast at the hostel before we loaded up in the boat and were shuttled back to the boat dock. We were back on trail by 8:30 am. It was a nice rolling terrain today. Multiple ponds were passed with nice beaches up next to the trail. At a couple of the ponds, Katahdin could be viewed in the distance.As for wildlife, I came across another snake, a deer and an otter-like animal that crossed the trail in front of me. A red squirrel was barking fearcely at the otter-like animal because it had come to close to its territory.We made it to the Rainbow Stream Lean-to by mid afternoon. By nightfall, the shelter was full and approximately five tents were set up in the area. I am in the shelter tonight due to the threat of rain tonight and early morning. Again, I am trying to keep my gear as dry as possible for as long as possible.Time to settle in for the evening. Good night all.
Date: 2019-08-29
From: Rainbow Stream Lean-to

To: Hurd Brook Lean-to
Miles today: 11.5

It had started raining during the night. We slept in later than usual because of the rain. As we started hiking the rain became a drizzle. After an hour of hiking the rain had stopped. However, the wind blew droplets from the trees for a few more hours. We held to a slow hiking pace due to the wet rocks and roots. While hiking up to Rainbow Ledges, we came upon four grouse in the middle of the trail. They were kind enough to stay in the immediate area while I got out my camera, powered it on and started taking pictures. They seemed almost domesticated. After hiking a little further we made it to Hurd Brook Lean-to. We set up in the shelter for the evening. While sitting around relaxing, we witnessed two hikers slip on the wet rocks in the steam in front of the shelter. One got wet, the other embarrassed. No one got hurt.We are 18.6 miles from the end of this journey. Looking forward to only two more trail days before the journey ends. There is a festival going on in Baxter State Park this holiday weekend. That could potentially force us to take a few zero days until the festival ends. We will not know that status until we arrive in the park tomorrow.Eating up most of the food in my food bag to lighten the load for the end. Time to kick back and relax for the evening. Good night all.
Date: 2019-08-30
From: Hurd Brook Lean-to

To: Katahdin Stream Campgrounds
Miles today: 13.4

Got up early, packed my stuff, ate a quick breakfast and we were on the trail by 6:00 am. We hiked approximately four miles and we were officially out of the 100-Mile Wilderness. "Lucked In" and I stopped in at the Abol Bridge Store/Restaurant. We ate a breakfast buffet and got supply items for summit day. We entered Baxter State Park and hiked down the road a little bit and ran into a park ranger that was coordinating campsites for NOBO¢s at The Birches Lean-to & Campsites. He told us that all sites were full, but he was checking at the restaurant to see if any hikers were eating that had changed their camping plans. We waited for him to return and he told us that no one was at the restaurant. So all sites were filled. However, the handicap site had not been booked and the time had expired to book it. With that bit of news, he was able to schedule us in the handicap site. Great news! We have a tent site, we don¢t have to hitch a ride into Millinocket, and we can simply get out of our tents and step straight onto the trail first thing in the morning. The weather should be good tomorrow and we can do our final summit of this journey.We hiked for a few miles and viewed what are called Big Niagara and Little Niagara Falls. Nice views of these areas.We hiked on to the ranger station next to the Katahdin Stream Campgrounds. They got us registered for the campsite and for the summit of Katahdin tomorrow. We only have 5.2 trail miles left on this journey. I am looking forward to the end. I am getting homesick.Good night all.
Date: 2019-08-31
From: Katahdin Stream Campgrounds

To: Summit of Mt Katahdin
Miles today: 5.2

I got up at 4:30 am, fixed my pack for slack packing, took my excess pack items to the Ranger Station and started hiking at 5:20 am. The first mile was easy with a gradual uphill grade. I came upon the crossing for Katahdin Stream. The bridge that is normally in place had been washed out in rain storms a couple of weeks ago. The choices were to rock hop to the opposite bank, ford the stream or take the bypass routine that was in place until the bridge could be replaced. I chose to ford the stream because the rocks were spaced wide apart and the bypass is not officially part of the AT. Shortly after the stream crossing, the grade got a little steeper. At the point where we were above tree line, the trail went vertical. This lasted for over one mile. There were points where rebar had been installed to aid with the climb. Many points required that you lift your entire body weight with your arm strength up and over ledges. This was slow and physically challenging. You could see clearly at this elevation, but could also see that the summit was engulfed in cloud cover. After a period of vertical climbing, things were less physically demanding, but were still uphill climbs. At this point, we were in the cloud layers. After walking for approximately a mile, I could see the outline of the Katahdin summit sign with a couple of people walking around. As I approached the sign, I asked someone what time it was. They told me that it was 9:22 am. So here are the stats:After 189 days of hiking, I have COMPLETED my 2,192.0 mile thru hike of the Appalachian Trail. COMPLETE on 8/31/2019 at 9:22 amStarted 2/24/2019 at Springer Mountain Georgia (includes the Approach Trail)Ended 8/31/2019 at Mt Katahdin MaineBecause of our experience climbing up to the summit, several of us chose to take the Abol Trail down the mountain. At the bottom we had a two mile road walk back to Katahdin Stream Campgrounds. We got a ride from a park ranger the last mile. A thru hiker named "Chocoholic" took us from Baxter State Park into the town of Millinocket, where we checked in at the AT Lodge. "Chocoholic" will likely shuttle us into Bangor Maine tomorrow.I am looking forward to being back home. When I signed the register at the ranger station, I signed with the following:I¢m pretty tired. I think I ¢ll go home now. (Forrest Gump)That says it all for me.It has been a journey that I will never forget. The summit today was the exclamation point on that journey.
Date: 2019-06-12
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

June 12, 2019Windham, Maine  Jumping from the CDT to the AT  I am a little bit disappointed that I will not be able to complete the CDT this year, but it seems very clear to me that with over 300% above average snowfall out west it is going to be many weeks before ALL of Colorado, the Winds Range of WY, and possibly the southern section of Yellowstone will dry out and be cleared of blowdowns and avalanche debris.So... I am jumping east to hike the 723 miles of the AT from Hanover, NH to Harpers Ferry, WV. I am thinking about 45 days to arrive in HF on August 2nd.Amazingly I was able to get from Dubois, WY to Denver, CO to Portland, Maine in just 36 hours via hitching and flying standby.I will stay a week with my son and his family in Southern Maine before heading to Hanover.More Soon,Shiloh www.facebook.com/wes.riley.167See my CDT PHOTOS at:https://photos.app.goo.gl/leOG..See my 2019 CDT Trail Journal at:www.trailjournals.com/shiloh19See my 2018 CDT Trail Journal at:www.trailjournals.com/shiloh1
Date: 2019-06-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

June 15, 2019Windham, Maine   Ready to Go on the ATIn the past few days I was able to dump several pounds of winter weight gear from the CDT that I won't need on the AT.I also sprayed all of my clothes and gear with Permethrin to help repell ticks.    To me, Hanover to Harpers Ferry is one of the best sections of the AT to hike in the summer. I can do this with a very light pack since I don't need to carry winter weight gear, and I don't need to carry much food and water at any given time.After already thru-hiking the AT, the PCT, and hiking a big chuck of the CDT, these next six weeks or so on the AT should be a joy.I am looking forward to a long hike with no pressure to push big miles every day, less extreme sun, less extreme hot/cold weather conditions, less extreme altitudes, and Much Less Stress about navigating the trail. I also will be covering what I feel is home ground.More Soon,Shiloh www.facebook.com/wes.riley.167See my CDT PHOTOS at:https://photos.app.goo.gl/leOG..See my 2019 CDT Trail Journal at:www.trailjournals.com/shiloh1See my 2018 CDT Trail Journal at:www.trailjournals.com/shiloh1
Date: 2019-06-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

June 16, 2019One Day to the ATHappy Fathers Day   The other day I went to the supermarket to get food for the first 47 mile section of my trek from Hanover, NH to Inn at Long Trail/Rutland, VT.My pack is now 100% ready to go - and so am I.Tomorrow morning I catch a Greyhound bus for the nine hour ride to Hanover, NH via Boston, MA.If all goes well I should arrive in Hanover about 5:00pm.The AT goes right through downtown Hanover, and the bus stop is actually right on the trail.I will get a quick bit to eat in town then I only need to hike a few miles to get out of town to where there are campsites and water sources.More Soon,Shiloh www.facebook.com/wes.riley.167   See my CDT PHOTOS at:https://photos.app.goo.gl/leOG...See my 2019 CDT Trail Journal at:www.trailjournals.com/shiloh1See my 2018 CDT Trail Journal at:www.trailjournals.com/shiloh1
Date: 2019-06-20
From: Hanover, NH

To: Inn at Long Trail
Miles today: 45.0

.  June 20, 2019   Inn at Long TrailSherburne Pass, Vermont   I was able to catch an earlier bus from Boston to Hanover, NH and arrived about 2:30 pm.As usual I am getting on trail with more food than I will probably need, so rather than stop to eat at a local cafe I grabbed some stuff from my food bag and started following the AT white blaze's right down Main Street in Hanover for the mile or so to the Connecticut River bridge. The trail goes across the bridge into the quaint little village of Norwich, VT and then into woods heading westerly for about 43 miles to Killington, VT.   As expected, I feel 10 times more at home hiking the Long Green Tunnel of the AT than I do the mostly sunny, totally exposed trails out west. I love the lush green trees and ferns, the moss covered rocks, and the sounds of dozens of differnt types of birds singing, especially in the early morning.Even though I got a late start out of Hanover on Monday, I hiked seven miles to Podunk Brook and found a nice flat tent site. I passed a few NOBO thru-hikers but I was the only one camping at the brook.I was on the trail about 6:30 am on Tuesday and hiked about 15 miles to a nice stealth campsite near a spring for water. Again I passed about a dozen NOBO hikers. It sounds like I am the only SOBO hiker they have seen in several days.Yesterday I hiked about 15 miles to the Stoney Brook Shelter. I cooked my dinner at the shelter and chatted with several NOBO hikers there, then set up camp by myself near a stream a few hundred feet up the trail.So far all I've seen is a few chipmunks and squirrels. I heard at least one deer near my tent last night and I saw a couple piles of moose turds on the trail. No bear sightings yet although I am sure I will be seeing some as I get farther south.Word on the trail was that a major rain storm is heading our way starting mid-day today until mid-day tomorrow.This morning I packed up and got on trail before 6:00 am.I hiked about eight miles to my favorite stop on the entire AT - The Inn at Long Trail.This is a very comfortable New England country Inn that serves a great breakfast included with the room. It also has an Irish Pub for lunch and dinner. I have stayed here several times before on different hikes.I got here about 10:00 am, just before a torrential rain storm hit.I took a hot shower, washed my clothes and had a burger and beer in the pub.I will have dinner there a little later this evening.I still have several days of food in my bag so no need to resupply until Manchester, VT about 50 miles down the trail. Even though it might be raining, I am getting back on trail after breakfast tomorrow. I should get to Manchester Monday morning.   More Soon,Shilohwww.trailjournals.com/journal/...See my AT 2019 PHOTOs at:https://photos.app.goo.gl/qUmy...